Saturday, June 12, 2010

Seven out of 10 disabled people in Japan feel discriminated against

From Kyodo News in Japan:

TOKYO — Nearly seven out of every 10 people with disabilities said they have faced discrimination or biased treatment, an annual government report showed June 11. The fiscal 2010 white paper on measures for disabled people, released by the Cabinet Office, says 68% of those surveyed said they have experienced discrimination or biased treatment because of their disabilities.

The office surveyed 4,455 people with disabilities between December 2009 and January 2010, of whom 2,178, or 49%, responded. The report also says 11.4% of the respondents always feel they are discriminated against and 50.9% feel that way sometimes.

The findings indicate that many handicapped people continue to be discriminated against at a time when Japan is studying to ratify the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, officials said.