The International Day of Persons With Disabilities: A Day For All

Al-Bireh, December 2, 2020 – Marked on December 3, the International Day of Persons With Disabilities aims at raising awareness about and promoting the rights of persons with disabilities. This year, the International Day is marked amidst the COVID-19 pandemic which has infected millions of people, caused massive economic losses and pushed millions around the world into extreme poverty.

According to statistics released by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in 2011, disability rates remain high in Palestine: approximately 2.7% of the population (around 135 000 persons) live with disabilities. Persons with disabilities are among the hardest hit by the pandemic. They also face higher risks of poverty and have lower access to services.

Persons with disabilities, like all other Palestinians, also suffer directly from the Israeli occupation and its illegal practices which include blockades, checkpoints and access restrictions.

Many of the rights enshrined in the Palestinian Disability Law N.4 of 1999 are not fully realized. These are basic rights in the absence of which the integration of disabled persons cannot be achieved. They include the right to health services, the right to full medical coverage, the right to education, the right to employment in accordance with the law, and the allocation of at least 5% of all jobs in the public and private sectors to persons with special needs. More than 50% of persons with disabilities in Palestine are illiterate, and many obstacles still prevent their access to local universities.   

As a key provider of services to persons with disabilities via its tens of rehabilitation centers and community-based programs throughout Palestine, PRCS views with concern and gravity the decline of support to the Movement of Disabled Persons in Palestine amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the political deadlock and the economic crisis. Given the above, it is expected that the conditions of persons with disabilities will further deteriorate compared to the past two decades.

PRCS believes that priority must be given to restoring and reviving the Higher Council for Disability as an umbrella organization uniting all relevant Human Rights institutions and service providers. This process can be accompanied by a review and amendment of the Council’s basic texts and regulations. PRCS also believes in the need to take disabled persons into account in all projects, programs and initiatives aimed at mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic so that the pandemic does not leave them poorer than they already are.