Zimbabweans Call for New Laws, Better Political Representation
By Kay Schriner (kays@uark.edu)
Out of frustration with the government, media, and society, disabled Zimbabweans are calling for changes in the nation's laws and systems of political representation.
Chief among the complaints made by Zimbabweans who have disabilities is the inability of people with visual and hearing impairments to access information about AIDS. Roseweta Mudarikwa says that this lack of information is putting at risk the lives of disabled people. "We are either ill-informed or misinformed by both the print and electronic media and vulnerable to the AIDS pandemic," she says. "I'm still to be educated on what anti-retroviral drugs can do. People should have access on how AIDS is contracted and prevented and be empowered to make informed decisions."
Ruvimbo Masunungure, a legal expert on disability rights, argues that the Disabled Persons Act should be revised to prohibit disability-based discrimination in both the private and public sector, something it does not now do.
The Constitution is also silent on the question of disability. Masunungure notes that, despite the fact that the constitution has been amended on 16 different occasions, it still does not protect the basic human rights of people with disabilities.
The need for strong laws and vigorous enforcement mechanisms is evident when one considers what happens when building owners violate an existing accessibility law that provides for a $4000 penalty or one-year imprisonment. Owners don't fear these penalties because they are not always enforced and when they are, some owners would rather pay the fine than incur the costs of making buildings accessible.
Part of the problem, advocates believe, is that people with disabilities are not guaranteed representation in the political deliberations of the nation. Farai Mukuta, who is director the National Association of Societies for the Care of the Handicapped, would like to see a system like that of Uganda (which includes people with disabilities in governing structures from the village level up to the national parliament) or South Africa (where, reportedly, 11 members of parliament are individuals with disabilities). There are also ministries for disabled citizens in those countries.
"We have no fund, no minister in place, and no budget for people with disabilities," complains Nudarikwa.
Information for this story taken from AllAfrica.com.
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