New Human Rights Forum for People with Disabilities Established in Costa Rica: Building Social Activism
By Luis Fernando Astorga Gatjens (lferag@racsa.co.cr)
Throughout history, as people with disabilities, we have had to deal with daily aspects of a socio-cultural ambiance that underestimates and overprotects us, discriminates against and marginalizes us.
A more than a century old Costa Rican democracy, with all its gains and limits, has not even been experienced by the thousands of citizens with a disability.
Inaccessibility to the different existing services has been more a norm than an exception. Although filled with good intentions, public assistance and private charity have dominated the national scene, thereby, limiting autonomy and development for people with disabilities.
Advanced legislation, but . . .
In Costa Rica, as people with disabilities, we enjoy an advanced legislation that protects our rights. The Bill for Equality of Opportunities for People with Disabilities, Bill 7600, was published in May 1996. The new American Convention for the Emancipation from All Forms of Discrimination has also been ratified by Costa Rica.
In spite of this, there is an enormous void between the legal aspects and reality, and the daily experiences of an immense majority of people with disabilities.
Access to education, jobs, health services, transportation, architecture, communication and information, culture and sports, as well as other spheres of social life is restricted and, in many cases, impossible.
For a majority of the nearly 400,000 people with disabilities living in Costa Rica, development is at the end of a road blocked by inaccessibility.
No one denies there has been progress, and we are not pushing for immediate or impossible changes. Absolutely not! The situation is that changes generated up until today have been shallow, prone to be changed back, and inconsistently applied throughout public institutions.
A Weak Social Movement
In spite of progress, as organizations of people with disabilities and as people with disabilities ourselves, we have not been able to lead the way required to implement the necessary changes.
Concerning this, it is timely to recall the words by the United Nations' Special Secretary on Disabilities, Bengt Lindqvist, who, while visiting our country in 1999, spoke about the weaknesses he perceived in the people with disabilities' movement.
This concern or worry makes a lot of sense, because all countries showing significant advances in these matters are those which have strong and active social movements of people with disabilities.
A Permanent Forum
To solve this need, by the end of last year, a group of people with disabilities started building an open, democratic and inclusive space formed by individuals and organizations committed to the Human Rights of people with disabilities.
Such is the purpose for the newly established Forum for Human Rights of People with Disabilities.
What this Forum for deliberation and action intends is that from civil society itself, to join organizational and individual efforts of those interested in advocating for the actuality of civil and political, and economic, social and economic rights of people with disabilities.
Our assured unswayable decision and goal is to contribute to the development and strengthening of a social movement by people with disabilities in Costa Rica so as to reach the social, economic, political and cultural empowerment of this social group.
To understand this effort, the statement by Nobel Prize for Economy, Amartya Sen, is as just as inspirational: "Development means to build people's capabilities for them to attain freedom to build a dignified life."
"Nothing about us, without us."
San José, Costa Rica, March 7, 2001.
Forum for Human Rights of People with Disabilities logo
Cane symbolizes unity, strength and flexibility. As it is known, this plant grows in large groups, never isolated or alone. Also, bamboo is a strong plant (as the struggle by disabled people has to be). Simultaneously, it is as flexible as all joint, broad and inclusive effort must be.
The rising sun represents the certain hope that, resulting from this and other efforts, the disabled population's living conditions will improve significantly.
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