GENEVA, Switzerland, August 24, 2015/African
Press Organization (APO)/ -- Despite significant steps taken by the Kenyan
government, coordinator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical
Disability Advocates Network (EDAN) Dr Samuel Kabue says that “more needs to be
done” so that people with disability can enjoy their rights.
“They must have access to inclusive and viable
environment, sign language support, feasible transport, communication, legal
capacity, health care and employment, among other rights,” he reports.
Kabue adds that people with disability speak
about their rights from an experiential point of view: “This point of view may
not be the same as the government's, which mostly implies that all is fine.”
Kabue shared these reflections in an interview
following his participation in a session of the Committee on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) which concluded its consideration of the
initial report of the Kenyan government on its implementation of the Convention
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 19 August in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Kenyan state ratified the Convention in
May 2008, among the early ones to do so. The Convention has been been ratified
by 157 states as of the end of Geneva meeting this month.
According to Kabue, the National Council of
Churches of Kenya has been instrumental in raising awareness on disability
issues. However, he feels that in order to make a stronger impact, churches
need to engage with the Convention for an effective implementation.
“If the churches enhance their understanding
of the Convention, they will be able to advocate more strongly for the rights
of people with disability,” said Kabue. This is one theme, he explained, that
was discussed in an elaborate dialogue side-event organized by the EDAN and
other civil society organizations that was held during the 14th Session of the
CRPD Committee of Experts in Geneva.
Kabue shared that a number of significant
topics were addressed at the CRPD Committee of Experts session, including
issues related to men, women and children with disabilities; persons with
albinism; legal capacity; accessibility both in public transport and
facilities; refugees and migrant workers with disabilities; inclusion of
persons with disabilities in policy-making processes; multiple discrimination
and inter-sectional disabilities.
Kabue said that in Kenya, among other
countries, EDAN is working with other disability organizations in pushing for
an effective implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities. He explained that EDAN was among the influential “non-state
actors” whose participation in the CRPD was facilitated by the International
Disability Alliance.
Established in 1998, EDAN, along with churches
and its partner organizations, addresses the issues affecting persons with
disabilities globally, advocating for the inclusion, participation, and active
involvement of persons with disabilities in the spiritual, social and
development life of the church and society.
Article provided by World Council
of Churches (WCC) via Mordern Ghana.
