Sierra Leone disability community asks for government minister position

From AllAfrica.com:

FREETOWN — Honorable member of parliament representing constituency 109
Dec. 3 urged the authorities to allocate a ministerial position to people living with disabilities so that their concerns would be well articulated.

Hon. Julius Nye Cuffie, himself a disabled, made the request during a national consultative conference on the rights of people with disabilities organized by the ministry of social welfare, gender and children's affairs in collaboration with the national committee of people with disabilities at the presidential lounge of the national stadium in Freetown.

He said for over six years they have been agitating for the enactment of the Disabled Act to address key issues of health, education and equal opportunities for people living with disabilities.

"We have been agitating for each and every government ministry, department and agency to have a disability issues department or desk in their offices to see the implementation of the said national disability policy. We have found out that women's group such as 50/50 has become very powerful lobbying to the point that they are demanding for 30% in cabinet. We are not demanding for 30% but rather requesting at list one representative from the disabled community to be appointed to a cabinet position to articulate issues on our rights," he said.

Hon. Cuffie noted that in 2006 a constitutional review committee was set up in which they wrote a letter for the inclusion of a disabled person to represent their cause but that the request was never heeded to.

"On the 21st November 2008, the 2009 budget was read. In that budget, the line ministry dealing with disability issues - that is the social welfare ministry - was allocated the sum of Le1.8 billion. In my opinion the money was small," he said, while admonishing his colleagues to work hard for their survival.

Minister of social welfare, gender and children's affairs, Hon. Musu Kandeh said the aim of the conference was to engage with partners in the fight to uphold the rights of the physically challenged and to validate the draft disability policy and persons with disability Act 2007 to accelerate and promote parliamentary enactment.

She said her ministry was concern with the enormous challenges faced by people with disability, ranging from health, education to securing a job, she said was responsible for street begging and prostitution especially among women and children.

She assured of government's commitment to addressing the problems of disabled people in the country.