ISLAMABAD: Human Rights Minister Dr Shireen Mazari on Friday called for development of a mindset to change the environment, which today is extremely discouraging for differently-abled people in the country.

“We are also working on creating awareness of laws to ensure rights of the differently-abled persons,” she said at the launch ceremony of an application ‘DeafTawk’ for persons with disabilities.

The minister appreciated entrepreneurs who set up the application for the disabled and said private-public partnership was a best way to support the disabled. The government would support private entrepreneurs especially the youth, she said.

Dr Mazari said society should also focus on the differently-abled people who suffered from non-physical disabilities as well. The incumbent government was committed to protecting the rights of all citizens, she added.

“We are working on creating awareness about the laws, especially for people who are differently abled. The ministry has prepared a law on differently-abled people which is lying in the standing committee of the parliament,” she added.

She said the Constitution guaranteed the rights of every citizen without any prejudice. She emphasised that this matter should not be looked at as a social welfare issue but as a right-based issue.

According to Dr Mazari, efforts were being made to ensure provision of facilities to the differently-abled people and to bring them into the mainstream. She also appreciated the work and efforts of the youth and differently-abled people.

She added that our focus was to raise the level of the marginalised and to bring them into the mainstream so that they could fully participate in the development of Pakistan.

Besides setting up poverty alleviation programme, the minister claimed that the government was also focusing on implementing existing laws and also working on new legislation.

Awareness campaigns were also underway to prevent child abuse, the minister said, adding that “our ministry is also working on gender-based violence. Human rights ministry has also proposed a bill on domestic violence, and we have also started a first ever data collection in collaboration with Unicef on child labour and our child labour survey will be completed soon, she added.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2019