Accra, May 24, GNA - Dr Appigyei Atua, a Legal and Constitutional Fellow at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), on Wednesday observed that constitutional provisions had not transformed into well-articulated and designed policy programmes to change the fortunes and well being of persons with disability.

"The Disability Bill, as a charge on Government and Parliament, represents the opportunity to secure the enjoyment of the rights of almost two million estimated persons with disability in Ghana after 14 years of unrequited recognition of their constitutional rights," he said Speaking at a press briefing in Accra, Dr Atua said persons with disabilities should be able to exercise their rights, not based on the sympathy and goodwill of society, but on binding instructions of the instrument of law.

He, therefore, praised the Government, the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment and Parliament for working tirelessly to ensure that effort to pass a law on persons with disability became a reality. "It is a crucial first step in protecting the rights of the disabled guaranteed under the Constitution and by doing so, we would be following the path, which has already been trodden by other African States such as Nigeria, which passed a disability decree in 1993," he said.

Dr Atua noted that the Centre's interest in the passage of the bill stemmed from the fact that issues related to disability were a human rights affair and must be addressed as such with the attention it required.

"Our longstanding interest in this bill, collated by inputs from constitutional law, human rights and other experts on disability, resulted in the detailed memo which was submitted to the Parliamentary Committee."

Dr Atua said he believed that the Centre's submission would go a long way in supporting other amendments, which the Committee had already proposed, so that in the end the House would come out with a credible, usable and implementable legislation.

On the gender dimension, Dr Atua said females with disability faced double discrimination on the basis of their gender as well as their disability. The bill, therefore, ought to address the gender dimension and make sure that it would not only promote formal gender equity but also substantive gender equality through affirmative action among persons with disability, he said.

He said the inclusion of a provision on non-discrimination in hiring and at the workplace was crucial to address non-discrimination and encourage employers to design their adverts in such a way as to target persons with disability.

He also spoke about the provision of free education for all persons with disability and special support facility for them up to tertiary level.

Dr Atua said the Centre supported the proposed amendment of criminalization of begging.

"Another fundamental problem relates to limiting begging to religious spaces, which would discriminate against beggars who beg at public places."

He said it would consequently create a situation where religious places might be flooded by beggars who would be affected by this provision.

Dr Atua called for public education and sensitivity training on the proposed criminalising or the making of derogatory remarks against persons with disability, as it was not appropriate to use criminal powers.