Dear countrymen! Disabled is a person who has physical and mental difficulty and limitation.
Based the figures presented by Handicap International in 2005, the percentage of people with dis ability is 7.2% in Afghanistan’s population, so due to this fact unfortunately Afghanistan is one of the countries with many disabled among the countries comparing to its population.
The people with disability in Afghanistan are faced with numerous indecent conditions so there is need for much attention and care of government and other related organs considering their age, gender and human right values because the problem of people with disability is not only their problem rather it can be counted the problem of the community and their families that would have effects on health, social, cultural and economic situation of the community.
Ok dear friends! We want to present you the interviews conducted with disabled, the authorities of organs and organization working for disabled and other healthy people through program of Campaign for Change of Life radio Killid.
In the beginning I would like to draw your attention the views of some of the people with disabled, first we will with Mohammad Sabir who is disabled by one leg, he says about his problem:
I am resident of Maidan, the people misbehave me as even the healthy people dont reply to my greetings, they don’t let me to participate in happiness and other parties, they call me lame, I am very disappointed from the government as well, since two years I have gotten the card of disability but I have not received my salary.
My name is Sayed Gul, I am resident of Deh Sabz district of Kabul province, I am faced with numerous problems in the community, on the one hand the joblessness and having small sisters and brothers on the other hand, it is said that a law on disabled right has been approved but no one has given us information and awareness about because I am illiterate , I come every day to department of Martyrs and Disabled to get the card of disability but they just promise me, the life passed the government doesn’t give my salary.
Some of the disabled don’t feel comfortable themselves in the community and complain from the healthy people though some healthy people support them and say that good behavior must be conducted with disabled looking at their rights, the fact that why the disabled people don’t keep patience against the healthy people and what is the reason so we have asked view of some of the residents of Kabul one of them says: My name is Ketabullah, by my opinion the disability of disabled people has put indecent impact on them as their neural system has been damaged so they are a bit furious against the healthy people so my message to health people is to be patient against the disabled and conduct good behavior.
My name is Najibullah, I am student in one of the private university, as you know numerous civil wars have caused that many of our countrymen face with disability, whatever is the case they have lost the organs of their body in the way of defense of the country, my view is that we all are Muslims so the Muslim should help the other Muslim either they are disabled or healthy in any problem.
Though no party create obstacles in the way of service to disabled because these activities are independent and free from fanaticism, but some of the organizations don’t want to have activities for disabled in remote areas so we have asked Hamidullah Tokhi the assistant of Disabled Affairs Commission in Parliament, he says:
The lack of complete figures on disabled has caused that the aids of governmental and nongovernmental organization don’t reach to disabled. Due to low level of knowledge the disabled have not been able to register their names in the lists of salaries and other aids, now the awareness has been given to disabled in remote areas if they know they cannot come due to fear from armed opponents to the center to register their names.
We tried a lot about their salaries, an amount of 150Afs was given as salary to them but we were able to raise this salary to 1500 Afs per month, we trying more to increase their salary at least to 5000Afs per month.
We accept that the disabled have registered their names in many places for getting the aids in the secure areas, but in insecure areas no one take care of disabled which shows unjust against the disabled, my request from all the parties the governmental and anti-governmental is that they should help the disabled, they should not create obstacles in the way of registration of their names and let the disabled to benefit their privileges, we are also trying not to spare any type of aid that we can do.
On the other hand Mirza Mohammad Sulaimankhil the assistant of council of disabled, suffered, war stricken and bright minded says that their activities cover the whole Afghanistan they have not faced any problem.
Sulaimankhil says : Our council is an independent and impartial council, we help all the disabled without any discrimination, we have been able to register a number of 950 disabled with ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled, as the council is a nun-political, independent and coordinating to law so we have not faced with any obstacle in our activities on the other hand the government is also helping us to deliver our aids to disabled.
ABRAR is an organization that is working in the field of disabled in Afghanistan, Mr.Munirudin Burhani the manager of the mentioned organization says that they are busy in preparation of easy ways for disabled and legal public awareness to public healthy and disabled people for the acquisition the rights of the disabled. According to Burhani, they would soon start the census of disabled in 7 provinces.
The insecurity in the country, the existence of armed and powerful people in the country has caused that the Afghan government, national and international institutions fail to improve life standard of people with disability, their inclusion in working, educational and health opportunities and well implementation of the law prepared for the rights and privileges of disabled. Mrs.Suraya Paikan the deputy minister of Women Affairs says that they have been able to provide the opportunity for improving the life standard of disabled based the aforementioned law.
Mrs. Paikan says: The Afghan government is committed to provide any type of rights and privileges in the light of law, based the mentioned law we have coordination with related health, educational and job provider organs and they also continue their cooperation about, in order that the disabled and their offspring can have access to education in abroad we took an exam from 150 of them as some of them passed the exam successfully and went to Pakistan and India to use the mentioned scholarships, the mentioned trend would continue, we have also sent two disabled including one boy and girl to Korea for learning the modern technology, we have also a list of disabled and their children to introduce them if any organization need them, we have also agreed with ministry of Culture and Information for dissemination of hinting speak through governmental and private TVs, we have also started the establishment of a national institute of disabled and negotiations are going on with the related organs for preparation of its curriculum, the construction work of the mentioned institute would be finished next year as through this we would be able to establish a good educational environment for usage the disabled, we are trying to provide groundwork of work, transport access and education for the disabled.
As many of disabled people live in poverty, so their safety must be ensured in any condition of war and peace and the disabled must benefit all human basic rights and liberties equal to other healthy people and their rights must be supported and respected by the community and government, their families’ needs must be considered that the disabled people can benefit from all their human rights.
