Disability Rights: RoLAC pledges support to achieve inclusivity in Anambra

Chinedum Treasure

The Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme has pledged to sustain its support to the Anambra State Disability Rights Commission towards ensuring that the law enacted in 2018 is fully operationalized with a bid to achieve inclusivity.

The State Project Coordinator of RoLAC, Josephine Onah, gave the assurance in Awka during a one-day capacity building for justice providers on the provision of legal assistance to persons with disabilities in the state.

According to Onah, the intervention, which is funded by the European Union and implemented in Nigeria by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IIDEA), seeks to activates Section 9 (1c) to ensure that the Legal Services Department of the Commission is fully operational, while sections 20 and 23 give further justification for the operationalisation of 9 (1c).

“RoLAC supported the enactment of the law and is poised to continuously support its implementation. We can’t stop the support. Rather, we are working to ensure that the framework we’ve put in place is sustained by the stakeholders. We want to see PWDs adequately educated and knowledgeable about their rights and privileges under the law.

“We are here to brainstorm on how best to implement the Disability Rights Law looking at it from the human angle as contained in the UN protocol and the constitution of Nigeria, which are against every form of discrimination.

While charging the lawyers already engaged to render legal services to members PWDs to give their best to the task, Onah explained that the legal services department will help PWDs with redress for the violation of their rights. “Therefore, this gathering is to activate the disability rights law of 2018. DRC,” she said.

“Give your best as partners in progress support the dream of the DRC to invoke the provisions of the law. The law took a lot to come to life and we must justify having it.

In his opening remarks, Chairman, Disability Rights Commission, Chuks Ezewuzie, appreciated the RoLAC for agreeing to work towards the operationalisation of the law.

“Come over to the DRC and help us was our Clarion call to RoLAC and it answered in a real super way. This commission was established as a one stop shop for all issues bothering on disability in the state and our benefactor had continued unrelentingly to ensure that what had been started would not stop even in the face of mounting discouragement.

“For those who don’t know, RoLAC fought for the enactment of the law, the establishment of the commission and is now giving us the boost needed for the law to be implemented.

“The 12 lawyers engaged for the operationalisation of the law have been trained in Abuja and they are expected to step down whatever information and knowledge they garnered from there. They will also be helping us to provide access to justice for PWDs.

According to the DRC Chairman, “Every wrong has a redress. So, we must protect and defend the rights of persons with disability as enshrined in the law”.

Participants at the event, which featured two panel sessions explaining critical sections of the law, agreed that PWDs should not be subjected to discrimination and prejudice under whatever guise, while the commission pledged to work with other relevant government institutions on the operationalisation of the law.

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