Let’s fight all forms of discrimination

Dr Christine Peta
Disability Issues

THE Zero Discrimination Day, which is commemorated on March 1, is a United Nations-led initiative that represents a call to action to eradicate discrimination in all its forms, as well as promote social inclusion and tolerance.

This week, we focus on the strides the Government has made in reducing or eliminating discrimination against persons with disabilities and promoting their inclusion in all facets of life.

While the reality of life is that we cannot all have the same levels of privilege, deliberately hindering the realisation of the right of someone in any facet of life is disdain of their being. Regardless of the social life attributes that intersect to frame a person’s overall identity, all people have the right to live with dignity.

The Constitution of Zimbabwe enunciates disability issues as a national objective (Section 22) in ways that show the Government’s commitment towards eradicating discrimination against persons with disabilities and promotion of their inclusion in all facets of life. Section 56:3 of the country’s supreme law states: “Every person has the right not to be treated in an unfairly discriminatory manner on such grounds as their nationality, race, colour, tribe, place of birth, ethnic or social origin, language, class, religious belief, political affiliation, opinion, custom, culture, sex, gender, marital status, age, pregnancy, disability, or economic or social status, or whether they were born in or out of wedlock.”

Furthermore, Zimbabwe ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and its optional protocol on September 23, 2013.

The Government continues to strengthen measures that seek to uphold the country’s obligations regarding non-discrimination and equality as enshrined in Article 5 of the UNCRPD.

President Mnangagwa launched the National Disability Policy on June 9, 2021.

The policy calls for non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as inclusion of persons with disabilities in all facets of life.

The significance of this initiative lies in the fact that the country has officially moved from the outdated charity and medical models of disability, which regard persons with disabilities as good-for-nothing beings who depend on charity and who should just sit around and wait to receive donations or as permanently sick people.

Zimbabwe’s current approach to disability is in line with the 2018 General Comment number six of the UNCRPD committee, which asserts that approaching disability with charity and/or medical models means driving a disability agenda that is against the provisions of the UN convention. It is believed the persistent use of the charity and medical models of disability fails to acknowledge persons with disabilities as full subjects of rights and rights holders. In any case, the National Disability Policy clearly grounds disability in the human rights framework.

This recognises and protects the dignity of all human beings, including those with disabilities, and promotes equal opportunity, fair treatment and non-discrimination in all facets of life that include education, healthcare, employment, cultural life, recreation and leisure, music, sport, disaster/risk management, social protection and access to justice.

The Government takes cognisance of the fact that sometimes discrimination is rooted in lack of knowledge, misinformation and resistance to change.

The Department of Disability Affairs in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare has, therefore, rolled out a robust awareness programme that is using all media platforms and direct community outreach programmes in both rural and urban areas to promote the rights of persons with disabilities and to call for non-discrimination.

Awareness raising and continuous dialogue on issues of disability help to develop understanding and tolerance of differences and of others who may have bodies that are different from ours. In any case, discrimination is a human rights violation, so let us all join hands to ensure that our country continues to expand its anti-discrimination laws and human rights frameworks in order to intensify the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities throughout the country. Let us not wait for the Government to do everything.

Everyone can make a positive difference in the families and communities we live in by embracing differences and promoting non-discrimination and social inclusion of persons with disabilities. Such individual efforts may appear small, but they have the power to transform society on the basis of fairness, equality, non-discrimination, social inclusion and tolerance.

Dr Christine Peta is a disability, public health, policy, international development and research expert.

She is the national director of Disability Affairs in Zimbabwe. She can be contacted on: [email protected]