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Date : 03/12/2003
Source: Department of Correctional Services
Title: Saaiman: International Day of Disabled Persons


ADDRESS BY THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES, MR PIETER W SAAIMAN, MP, AT CELEBRATIONS MARKING THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF DISABLED PERSONS, Correctional Services Head Office Pretoria, 3 December 2003

Programme Director
Our Disabled Colleagues and Friends
Ladies and Gentlemen

It is a pleasure for me to attend celebrations marking the International Day of Disabled Persons with you. Thank you for the kind words of welcome. It is my first official appearance at our Head Office since my appointment - which makes it more special for me to celebrate this important day with you.

The General Assembly at the conclusion of the United Nations (UN) Decade of Disabled Persons in 1992 declared the third of December as the International Day of Disabled Persons. A major focus of this day is the practical action to further implement international norms, standards and practices concerning persons with disabilities and to further their participation in social, economic and political life and development on the basis of equality.

The UN also declared 2000 to 2100 as the African Century. This has brought new hope to disabled people on our continent, as the focus on the prevention of wars and conflict on the continent, on the search for a new morality, on an affirmation of African culture, and renewed efforts for economic renewal as central themes of the African Century, also form integral themes of the UN Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.

Disabled people organisations (DPOs) in Africa started mobilising for an Africa Decade of Disabled Persons after the 5th Disabled People International (DPI) World Assembly in December 1998, at their Africa meeting, adopted the idea of a decade. The six major international organisations of disabled people (IDPOs), namely: Disabled Peoples' International, Inclusion International, World Federation of the Deaf, African Union of the Blind (a WBU affiliate), the World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry, and the World Federation of Deaf-blind Persons, gave their unwavering support to the Declaration of an African Decade for Disabled People at their meeting held in January 1999 in Cape Town. These calls followed the UN Decade of Disabled Persons between 1983 to 1992, and the Asia-Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons declared from 1993 to 2002 by the governments in the Asia-Pacific.

The 70th session of the Council of Ministers and the 35th Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) subsequently declared 3 December 1999 to 3 December 2009 the Decade of Disabled Persons in Africa, with the following objectives, among others:

* Strengthening the African voice of disabled people
* Putting disability on the social, economic and political agenda of African governments
* Spearheading the implementation of the UN Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for People with Disabilities; leading to the adoption of a Convention on Disabled People by the OAU member states
* The application of UN Instruments on the Declaration of Human Rights
* Address of issues pertaining to children, youths and women with disabilities
* To use UN Standard Rules as a basis for policy and legislation to protect the interests of disabled people in Africa.

President Mbeki launched the South African Chapter of the Decade on 5 December 1999 during the National Conference of the South African Federal Council on Disability in Johannesburg.

The fact that the Africa Decade of Disabled Persons kick-starts the African Century is of particular importance, as this will provide governments, the private sector, the international community, society at large and organisations of people with disabilities in particular, with an ideal opportunity to ensure that barriers that prevent people with disabilities from participating equally in the development of their communities, are addressed right from the start of the African Century.

People with disabilities will therefore be able to equally participate in the moral and economic renewal of Africa, and of benefiting from debt relief, expanding international markets and by ensuring that the strengthening of Africa's infrastructure is barrier-free. We as Africans will be able to determine what these barriers are, and how best to remove them within the context within which we live.

It is important to remember that the Africa Decade is not about South Africa per se. It is about Africa. There is therefore a need to relate national issues to its relevance and impact on Africa by looking beyond national issues only and trying to find solutions within a broader perspective.

The South African theme for the Africa Decade has been confirmed as 'Disability Renaissance - from Poverty to Social, Economic and Political Empowerment in Africa'. We as South Africans and specifically Correctional Services once again join the rest of the world and our African compatriots in observing and celebrating this day. Our celebration will seek to profile, promote and honour persons with disabilities who have made a positive contribution to the development and integration of disabled people into our society, and to reaffirm government's commitment and mandate to deliver essential services to persons with disabilities within our first decade of democracy. Government has therefore decided that this year's theme for celebrating this esteemed day is: "Celebrating Disability in our first Decade of Democracy"

On this day we celebrate persons with disabilities, we celebrate disability and our first decade of democracy, we want to highlight the issues of women abuse, human rights and HIV/AIDS as they relate to persons with disabilities.

We are in the middle of our campaign of 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children and it is therefore necessary for us during this period and as part of the International and African Community to look at the impact on persons with disabilities.

The period gives us an opportunity as a collective to concentrate on devising ways and means of tackling the problem relating to disability and to re-commit ourselves to eradicating the stigma that we attach to our fellow citizens.

There is also a need for a collective response and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society, business, the religious community and organised labour are all potential partners in assisting us with this challenging era and decade. The campaign also allows us to build on the increased public vigilance and general awareness that has been generated over the last few years.

Over a period of the 16 themed days and by linking gender-based violence to issues such as health, disability, poverty and vulnerability to risk we are sensitising the public to the very many faces of violence and its negative impact on the development of women and children.

We also want to encourage the active participation of persons with disabilities in the coming 2004 elections. It is your right to exercise your constitutional right to vote. We will see to it that you are in a position to do so.

Our department has established a disability sub-directorate, located in the Equity Directorate within the Corporate Services Branch to deal and place focus on this important matter. This sub-directorate contributes to advocacy and awareness raising campaigns throughout the year in the regions. It also assists in providing advice on disability management issues to us as the management of the Department.

The work of the sub-directorate is aimed at working with disability issues as a workplace strategy aimed first at preventing disability and then at integrating the disabled employee as far as possible. The department's policy on persons with disabilities covers their gainful employment and reasonable accommodation.

The goal is to develop a co-ordinated program that will reflect the department's commitment to continued employment of individuals with functional work limitations. Currently our efforts are focused on the following areas:

* In ensuring an accessible department we have identified and assist in the renovations to all departmental buildings to ensure accessibility for all forms of disabilities

* Departmental policies and practices are transformed to be accommodative of the workplace needs of persons with disabilities

* In order to educate and raise awareness on disability issues we: Participate on Casual Day project; Participate in Disability Focus Month; Celebrate International Day of Disabled Persons; Co-ordinate a national sports day for persons with disabilities within our department

* Our department has also created a platform to discuss disability issues by convening a disability forum aimed at discussing disability related issues with persons with disabilities within the department or their chosen representatives as well as the co-ordination of Provincial Disability Forums for and by personnel with disabilities in the department

* We are also busy creating capacity within the department on disability issues by facilitating workshops for all officials e.g. recruitment workshop and training on sign language for all frontline personnel (e.g. visiting section)

All these efforts are in the spirit of our newfound democracy, our constitution and the creation of a human rights culture where equality will triumph. Programme Director, thank you once again for this opportunity. I would like to wish you all a happy festive season and prosperous 2004. May we focus our efforts on removing the inequalities of the past and promoting the participation of all of us to the creation of a better society, country, continent and world.

I thank you

Issued by: Department of Correctional Services, 3 December 2003
Source: Department of Correctional Services (http://www.dcs.gov.za)

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