THE National Association of Societies for the Care of the Handicapped (NASCOH) and the Deaf Zimbabwe Trust have welcomed the ratification of the African Disability Protocol (ADP), saying it was vital in tackling harmful practices.
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare deputy minister Mercy Dinha moved a motion last week in Parliament on the ratification, a process required by the Constitution.
NASCOH acting executive director Joyce Matara said the ratification was a historic moment for Zimbabwe and for persons with disabilities across Africa.
“The ADP is a vital instrument in tackling harmful practices, discrimination and inequality and improving the lives of millions of persons with disabilities within the African and Zimbabwean contexts,” she said.
Deaf Zimbabwe Trust national director and Equal Zimbabwe chairman Leonard Marange said: “The ratification of the ADP demonstrates Zimbabwe’s commitment to promoting the rights of persons with disabilities to ensure they can access their rights on an equal basis with others. We now look forward to the domestication of the ADP.”
Zimbabwe ratified the Protocol on African Charter on Human and People’s rights on the rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was adopted on January 29, 2018.
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The primary objective of the protocol is to promote, safeguard and ensure the complete and equal exercise of all human and people’s rights for individuals with disabilities in Africa.
The protocol is the first pan-African human rights treaty that specifically addresses forms of discrimination affecting people with disabilities on the continent, such as harmful practices, beliefs and superstitions.