Q:
A:
Rights of persons with disabilities to be legally protected
Belgrade,
21 March 2006
Serbian Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Policy Slobodan Lalovic said today that the Serbian government will protect the rights of persons with disabilities through laws, and influence the awareness of citizens in that area.
Slobodan Lalovic
Opening a three-day regional conference on drafting a UN convention on protection of rights and dignity of persons with disabilities, Lalovic said that apart from adopting laws and regulations that are in due parliamentary procedure, it is also of essential importance to bring about a “Copernican revolution in people’s minds”.
He said that persons with disabilities have the right to a dignified life, the right to work and be part of all segments of society, and not to be a “marginalised population”.
According to Lalovic, 2006 was pronounced the Year of Equal Opportunities and the Serbian government will lead a continuous campaign in order to raise awareness of Serbian citizens concerning the fact that persons with disabilities have a right to a dignified life.
He recalled that the law on prevention of discrimination is undergoing parliamentary procedure and should be adopted in April, as well as the law on employment and rehabilitation which should be adopted by May or June.
Lalovic said that 10% of people or approximately 700,000 people in Serbia have various kinds of disabilities, and added that the majority of them can work, but society has failed to notice that.
He said that it is necessary to have a “multi-resource approach” in the protection of rights of persons with disabilities and announced that the Serbian government will engage in changing the situation in that area in the upcoming period.
Head of the Secretariat for the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities Jean Pierre Gonnot said that the UN General Assembly engaged in drafting this convention after estimating their participation in society.
He noted that the exchange of experience on the regional level can assist the successful drafting of the convention adding that governments as well as organisations of persons with disabilities should be involved in its creation.
The three-day conference organised by the Serbian Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Policy in cooperation with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Montenegrin Ministry of Labour and Social Care, the Serbia-Montenegrin Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Handicap International, will end on March 23.
Apart from representatives of the UN and Serbia-Montenegro, also taking part in the conference are representatives of governments and organisations of persons with disabilities from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova.
He said that persons with disabilities have the right to a dignified life, the right to work and be part of all segments of society, and not to be a “marginalised population”.
According to Lalovic, 2006 was pronounced the Year of Equal Opportunities and the Serbian government will lead a continuous campaign in order to raise awareness of Serbian citizens concerning the fact that persons with disabilities have a right to a dignified life.
He recalled that the law on prevention of discrimination is undergoing parliamentary procedure and should be adopted in April, as well as the law on employment and rehabilitation which should be adopted by May or June.
Lalovic said that 10% of people or approximately 700,000 people in Serbia have various kinds of disabilities, and added that the majority of them can work, but society has failed to notice that.
He said that it is necessary to have a “multi-resource approach” in the protection of rights of persons with disabilities and announced that the Serbian government will engage in changing the situation in that area in the upcoming period.
Head of the Secretariat for the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities Jean Pierre Gonnot said that the UN General Assembly engaged in drafting this convention after estimating their participation in society.
He noted that the exchange of experience on the regional level can assist the successful drafting of the convention adding that governments as well as organisations of persons with disabilities should be involved in its creation.
The three-day conference organised by the Serbian Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Policy in cooperation with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Montenegrin Ministry of Labour and Social Care, the Serbia-Montenegrin Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Handicap International, will end on March 23.
Apart from representatives of the UN and Serbia-Montenegro, also taking part in the conference are representatives of governments and organisations of persons with disabilities from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova.
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