Let’s pay close attention to the rights of people with impairments, said a proponent of human rights

Josephine Oppong-Yeboah, a media figure and human rights defender, has emphasised the need for the government to pay greater attention to the rights of people with disabilities in the nation.

She stated that many people with disabilities still experience discrimination often, which, she argued, violates their fundamental human rights.

Disability rights are human rights, according to Josephine Oppong-Yeboah, and we can strive towards a more inclusive society where everyone, regardless of ability, can prosper by raising awareness and taking action to encourage inclusion and equal opportunity.

She revealed this when delivering a speech at the CRPD conference in 2023, which runs through Thursday, June 15, 2023.

“Harmonising national policies and strategies with the CRPD: achievements and challenges” is the focus of the 16th Conference of States Parties to the CRPD (COSP16), which is being held in New York at the UN headquarters.

The current Convention’s goals are to encourage respect for people with disabilities’ innate dignity and to guarantee that all people with disabilities are able to fully and equally enjoy all human rights and basic freedoms.

At the United Nations’ headquarters in New York, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol were approved on December 13 of that year. On March 30, 2007, they were made available for signing.

The Convention represents the culmination of decades of UN efforts to alter perceptions and methods of dealing with people with disabilities.

It is crucial, in the opinion of Josephine Oppong-Yeboah, to enable people with disabilities to speak up for their own rights and take an active part in decision-making.

She also exhorted the media to give disabled individuals a platform to express their stories in order to increase awareness and spur beneficial change in the nation.

She emphasised that many things, including the user-friendliness of buildings, frequently fail to take the rights of persons with disabilities into account.

“Awareness of disability rights can support the development of accessible community services, housing, and transportation.

She stated that it is crucial to acknowledge that those with disabilities have the same rights as everyone else and that they have to be treated with respect, decency, and fairness.

Disability-based discrimination, according to Oppong-Yeboah, a gender equality advocate, should not be permitted by anybody in society because “it breeds segregation and anger.”

She still praised Ghana for its initiatives to advance the rights of those with disabilities while pointing out that more has to be done.

Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame, a Ghanaian, was recently chosen as the new Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and Josephine used the opportunity to express her happiness at the development.

She hoped that the government will be motivated to do more for people with disabilities as a result of Gertrude Fefoame’s election, emphasising that other African nations would be encouraged to do the same.