EDITORIAL
With any new government comes the hope of the dawn of a new day. Hope that things will improve and that much needed achievements that eluded the previous administration would finally see the light of day. Once such hope is that with a great deal of groundwork already undertaken, our country will see much needed legislation soon enacted to ensure that the rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs) are not encroached upon.
It has been 16 long years since a then Barbados Labour Party Government created the White Paper on Persons with Disabilities, and it would be over a decade later that the former Government would ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. At that time, it was hoped that with these two commitments, that the country was well on its way to ensuring that PWDs would be treated as full and equal citizens of this country.
We say that, mindful that the ratification of the Convention in February, 2013 meant that Barbados was bound by the international agreement to pass and have proclaimed legislation which would be geared towards promoting, protecting and ensuring the full and equal enjoyment of all the human rights and fundamental freedoms by PWDs this island. With just over five years now passed since that Convention was ratified, it is vital the relevant legislative framework is put in place, to ensure that these members of our society are able to reach their fullest potential and to effectively participate in society, having equal access to such things as education, health care and employment. We say that even as we acknowledge that the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act passed last year, recognises the rights of PWDs, making it an offence for able-bodied persons to park in spaces designated for them – a right long fought for.
But in the latter two years of the previous administration, while there was much talk about work being done on the Persons with Disabilities Bill and the Employment Rights (Prevention of Discrimination) Bill, which on several occasions were said to be advanced in their development, neither came to fruition. At the end of 2017, the former was said to be with the Chief Parliamentary Counsel, and we hope that the new government will make it a priority to examine this draft bill, and at the soonest, determine whether it has to make any changes to it, or if it can come to Parliament for approval as is, for we cannot continue to only pay lip service to this matter.
Certainly, we feel somewhat confident that it will not linger on too much longer, as one of the fiercest proponents of disability rights, the new Minister of Home Affairs, Edmund Hinkson, sits on the front bench of the Government in the House of Assembly. We have no doubt that having strongly advocated for PWDs over the last 10 years while sitting on the Opposition bench, that he will – with the same tenacity or even more – continue to push the case as a member of Government.
So, among those things we wish to see is full accessibility for PWDs in the built and natural environment, for there are still numerous public establishments that have no provisions in place to accommodate persons with physical impairments or disabilities. Needless to say this must be remedied. Also, while it is heartening that some sidewalks have been widened to accommodate wheelchairs and walking aids, there are still not enough access points to these sidewalks, making it sometimes impossible for PWDs to utilise them. Added to that, too many roads do not have sidewalks, forcing them into the path of oncoming traffic.
We hope to see these concerns addressed over the next few years.