Madagascar: The Official Launch of the Decade of Disabled Persons

[en français]

The United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons (1983-1992) generated a series of proclamations of decades at the continental level to promote a local approach to the problems of disability and to research local solutions to these problems.

A decade of disabled persons was launched in this way in Asia and the Pacific for the period 1993-2003 while the one in Africa is from 1999-2009. A continental plan of action of the African Decade of Disabled Persons was adopted by the 38 th regular session of the African Union, held in July 2002 in Durban and which Madagascar ratified.

For a brief history, Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, situated in the Indian Ocean to the southeast of Africa. With a surface area of 587,000 km2, it numbers 15 million inhabitants who live, in general, from agriculture and fishing. The population is mostly poor, both on a dietary (less than 2133 calories/day/person) as well as on monetary level (less than $260/year/head of household).

Like all countries of the world, Madagascar has disabled citizens who represent 10% of the population, that is to say more than a million individuals. The disabled people are marginalized, because the disability is perceived as a curse, a contagious disease within the Malagasy society. But since 1997, the year of awakening of disabled people, things have improved:

• First, 8 young persons with physical disabilities (my husband and I were the leaders of the group), motivated by a strong will to transform the negative into the positive, traveled the six provinces of Madagascar to make disabled people aware of their civil rights and to encourage them to demand these rights.
• A committee was subsequently established to develop a draft law that guarantees the enjoyment and the exercise of the civil rights of disabled persons.
• After 6 months of lobbying, law No. 97-044 was promulgated on the 2nd of February 1998, and the disabled people regained confidence in their future.
• Some associations were created to do income-generating activities, cultural activities and sports. The increase in grassroots associations provided a place for the creation of a higher association called the National Collective of Organizations Working for Disabled Persons [Collectif National des Organisations oeuvrant pour les Personnes Handicapées or COPH- ed.].
• The COPH, which brought together 120 associations distributed throughout the island, is therefore carrying the message of disabled persons for the positive application of the law No. 97-044. The decree was announced in April 2001, but unfortunately, it did not commit the State in any way.

Disappointed by the attitude of the Ministry of Population regarding the content of the decree, the associated movement of disabled persons heckled the representatives, the senators, the political decision-makers, not only over the disrespect for their civil rights but also over their dereliction of duty towards the disabled Malagasy citizens who voted for them.

In the beginning, they tried to ignore the disabled Malagasy citizens, but when the actions intensified, they voted the budget for the National Decade of Disabled Persons and this was done:

• in accordance with the continental plan of action of the African Decade, ratified by the Malagasy government in July 2002 in Durban and
• in accordance with law No. 97-044 and of decree No. 2001-162.

The Minister of Population therefore chose the 3 rd of December 2003 (World Day of Disabled Persons) officially to launch the national decade of disabled persons that goes from 2003 to 2013. Within his short speech, the Minister promised to publish that very year, two enforcement decrees concerning:

• the distribution of a disability card allowing disabled persons to benefit from a reduction in the cost of transport, medicine, etc.
• the establishment of a national commission of disabled persons, linked to the Ministry of Population and that will be responsible for studying all the questions relating to disability.

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