Persons With Disabilities are entitled to exercise their civil, political, social, economic, and cultural rights on an equal basis with others. For this reason, international agencies such as the United Nations have initiated programs to support and advocate for these rights to be respected and observed by society.
On 29th May, the United Nations will be celebrating people who lost their lives in the cause of peacekeeping under the theme “People Peace Progress: The Power of Partnerships”, which means together with partners, they are strong and changing other people’s lives for the better.
The 2007 election, was marred by serious human rights violations, including unlawful killings and beatings by police during protests and house-to-house operations, this left most people with disabilities, and saw the UN peace campaigns of power and peace partnership step in to deliver the nation out of hurt and into healing.
Peacekeeping is one of many tactics used by the United Nations to protect hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in the world’s most fragile political and security situations, against violence.
Most affected groups during times of crisis include women and girls, children, and persons with disabilities, they face multiple challenges aggravated during the conflict.
In line with the UN’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, its purpose is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.
The question is how do we peacefully coexist with our neighbors, brothers, and sisters, because of the vulnerable in society, especially the PWDs?