The UNICEF´s annual report ´The state of the world´s children 2013´ was released in the capital on Sunday. The report states that "concentrating on the abilities and potential of the children with disabilities would create benefits for society as a whole." The report was first launched in Vietnam on May 30.
The report was launched amid presence of hundreds of disabled people, including children who had gathered from across the country for general assembly of the National Federation of Disabled Nepal (NFDN). Jointly organized by the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare (MWCSW), UNICEF and NFDN, the program also consisted of inclusive disability rally, disability bazaar and cultural shows. [break]
The UNICEF´s report calls for more efforts to support integration of children with disabilities to minimize discrimination against them. According to the report, for many children with disabilities, exclusion begins from the first days of their life with their birth going unregistered.
The report points out that children with disabilities are least likely to receive health care and education around the world. They are among the most vulnerable to violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect due to social stigma or economic cost of raising them. The report has identified girls and women with disabilities to be more vulnerable. “Girls with disabilities are less likely than boys to receive food and care,” the report says, adding that there is little accurate data on this and entire picture of the children with disabilities. As a result, few governments, including the government of Nepal, has a dependable guide for allocating resources to support and assist children with disabilities and their families, the report declares.
“About one third of the world´s countries have so far failed to ratify the convention of the rights of persons with disabilities,” the report alerts. It calls for serious measures to fight discrimination meted out to disabled children by the general public, decision makers and providers of such essential services as schooling and health care.
Related story
Inclusive Election in Nepal
