Disability rights advocates in South Sudan have called for formal representation to be included in the country’s ongoing permanent constitution-making process.
The call was made during events in Lakes State marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, observed under the global theme “Fostering disability-inclusive progress.”
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Thursday, the chairperson of the Lakes State Disability Association, Abraham Muorchol Dong, outlined several challenges faced by the community.
He said a key concern is the lack of a specific quota for persons with disabilities in the new constitution, unlike provisions for other groups.
“Women have been given a percentage. Youths have been given a percentage,” Dong said. “Our policy says we are inclusive, but we are not inclusive because we don’t have a percentage that has been mentioned in that constitution. That is a real, great challenge for us.”
He urged both the state and national government to allocate a percentage of representation to ensure their participation in “all structures of the government.”
Physical Barriers
Dong also highlighted physical barriers to participation, noting that many government offices, including the Governor’s premises, are inaccessible.
“It is difficult for us to meet the governor because it is upstairs. A person with a disability cannot climb it,” he said.
He added that educated members of the community struggle to find employment due to a lack of inclusive policies within state institutions.
Daniel Laat Kon, the Lakes State coordinator for the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), echoed the demand for constitutional inclusion.
“As CEPO, we are calling on the national government to support persons with disabilities,” he said. “We are demanding in the process of this constitution-making process… they are asking for 10 percent within the permanent constitution.”
Officials Pledge Reforms
The state Minister of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare, Angelina Ding Mario, acknowledged the issues raised.
She said the government needed to ensure offices were accessible and that persons with disabilities were included in society.
“The theme talks about inclusivity,” Minister Mario stated. “We should include the people living with disabilities and bring them on board so that they feel that they are human beings.”
She pledged to discuss the matter of accessibility with the state governor.
Abraham Aduot Maper Malual, a Member of Parliament in the Lakes State assembly, praised the observance of the day and thanked NGOs for their support.
He urged that assistance to the disability community be strengthened, saying they “deserve humanity and provisions of social services.”
The commemoration event in Rumbek concluded with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) distributing bicycles to the association to aid mobility.