Persons with disabilities and rights advocates have urged the government to immediately enact a comprehensive anti-discrimination law to ensure inclusion, protection and equal rights for all marginalized communities.
The call came at a consultation organized jointly by the Centre for Disabilities in Development (CDD) and Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) at the Shakti Foundation Training and Research Center in Akran, Savar, on Tuesday.
Held under the Disability Inclusive Civic Engagement (DiCE) project, the consultation brought together persons with disabilities, civil society representatives and government officials to review the draft Anti-Discrimination Bill and propose recommendations from a disability rights perspective.
The project is funded by Switzerland, Canada and the European Union, implemented through GFA Consulting Group GmbH and supported by the Nagorikata – Civic Engagement Fund.
Wasiur Rahman Tonmoy, lead – Youth & Social Cohesion at MJF, presented the keynote paper, outlining discrimination faced by marginalized groups in education, healthcare, employment and public and private services. These groups include Dalits, Indigenous people in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, tea garden workers and persons with disabilities.
KM Shahiduzzaman, upazila social services officer in Savar, attended as chief guest and stressed the need for enforceable legal protections and coordination between government agencies and non-governmental organisations to improve access to essential services.
Advocate Ruma Sultana, programme coordinator at MJF, highlighted the need for continued consultations with diverse communities to refine the proposed legislation. She was involved in drafting the initial Anti-Discrimination Bill, 2022.
Umme Farhana Zarif Kanta, deputy director and team lead for PROKAS at Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), called for stronger partnerships with grassroots organizations to ensure persons with disabilities are represented in legislative advocacy.
The consultation included 48 persons with disabilities: 25 with visual impairments, 14 with physical disabilities, seven with hearing impairments and two with cerebral palsy. Sign language interpretation was provided by Iftekhar Ahmed Shorful.
Facilitated by Tonmoy, participants worked in five groups to review the draft bill and develop recommendations.
They called for the legislation to be enacted under the title “Anti-Discrimination Law” and for its definitions of discrimination to be aligned with existing national laws and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
Other recommendations included incorporating relevant provisions of the Rights and Protection of Persons with Disabilities Act 2013 into the proposed law, ensuring representation of persons with disabilities on monitoring committees and the proposed National Anti-Discrimination Commission, and simplifying complaint procedures and access to legal aid.
Participants also called for effective enforcement and accountability mechanisms covering both public and private sectors.
Anika Rahman Lipy, assistant director of training at CDD, delivered the closing remarks and vote of thanks. Participants pledged to continue engaging with policymakers to advance the proposed law.