Disability organization in Bangladesh asks for more funding for programs for disabled people

From The Daily Star in Bangladesh:

National Forum of Organisations Working with the Disabled (NFOWD) Oct. 22 demanded the government allocate more in the national budget for the short, medium and long-term activities chalked out by the District Committees for the Welfare of the Disabled.

They also demanded making the district committees more effective to identify the special needs of the people with disabilities and ensure their rights.

NFOWD held the discussion at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) with a set of action plans and recommendations that came from workshops of the District Committees for the Welfare of the Disabled in 63 districts since 2002.

At the discussion titled 'Implementation of the action plans identified in district level for the overall development of the people with disabilities' the speakers said that the action plans should be recognised as part of the national action plan.

As 10 percent of the total population is physically challenged in the country, a balanced development is not possible excluding this group, they said.

They stressed the need for involving government officials, physically challenged people and civil society representatives to strengthen the District Committee for the Welfare of the Disabled.

The recommendations placed in the discussion include amending the rules of business to take different issues of the people with disabilities into different ministries, enacting a new law in the light of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and formulating distinct cells to monitor the activities of the district committees.

No development of the physically challenged people is possible without mainstreaming them, said Executive Director of Manusher Jonno Foundation Shaheen Anam.

She also said that there should be more dialogues on the disability issue.

"The issue of the physically and mentally challenged people is a priority issue of the government," said Social Welfare Minister Enamul Haque Mostafa Shahid.

While delivering his speech as the chief guest he also said that the government is ready to change the rules of business to ensure the rights of this special group properly.

Secretary to social welfare ministry Quamrunnessa Khanam, Director General of the directorate of social service Sitangsu Sen, Joint Secretary of Jatiya Protibondhi Unnayan Foundation Gazi Mohammad Nurul Kabir, Executive Secretary of Bangladesh Jatiya Samaj Kalyan Parishad MA Kashem Masud and President of NFOWD Khondoker Zohurul Alam also spoke.