Majority of people with disabilities still face discrimination — Prince Mired

AMMAN — HH Prince Mired on Tuesday stressed the need to come up with a national initiative that would safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities and change social attitudes towards them.

Prince Mired made the remarks at the fourth governmental meeting with human rights coordinators in which the second report detailing progress in government agencies’ implementation of procedures as stipulated in human rights conventions was launched.

“Much has been achieved but we still have a long way to go in this area and there are critical challenges, but we are capable of achieving the necessary progress,” Prince Mired, who is president of the Higher Council for Affairs of Persons with Disabilities (HCD), told the gathering at the meeting held at the Royal Cultural Centre.

“The majority of people with disabilities face discrimination everywhere, with the lack of accessibility in public places, schools, universities and streets, as well as being able to work, receive education and take part in cultural and sports activities,” added the prince, who is also the chairman of the National Committee for De-mining and Rehabilitation.

Prince Mired noted that only 3 per cent of children with disabilities receive proper education while the rest do not receive education at all.

Meanwhile, around 96 per cent of people with disabilities in Jordan stay at home due to the lack of disability-friendly environments at work, and at health and education facilities, the prince said in remarks earlier this year.

But he stressed that Jordan has committed to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified in 2008, by introducing the Law on People with Disabilities that ensures their legal rights.
According to an HCD report released in April, nearly 9.9 per cent of people with disabilities aged 15 and above in Jordan are unemployed but actively looking for jobs, while those working constitute 7.7 per cent.

The report put the disability rate in Jordan at 13 per cent.

In March, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said during a visit to the HCD that the government will study the amendment of laws related to disabilities, in addition to others with articles dealing with people with disabilities such as the Penal Code.

Meanwhile, the government coordinator on human rights, Basel Tarawneh, said that “hosting Prince Mired in today’s meeting reflects the openness and integration of government institutes with civil society organisations”.

“The idea is to follow up with the HCD and help them overcome some of the obstacles they are facing,” Tarawneh said.

The participants stressed the need to work on changing cultural attitudes towards accepting and supporting people with disabilities since many feel they are rejected by their own society, which hinders their participation in all sectors.