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Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission said that people with disabilities were the main victims of this relentless war and must have key role in reconciliation process.
AT News
KABUL: Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) has called for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the ongoing Afghan peace process.
The commission in a report said that people with disabilities were the main victims of relentless war and that they should be included in the peace process.
The AIHRC encouraged the war parties to agree on a ceasefire to prevent further harm to the people and prevent the increasing numbers of the disabled people.
This comes as the peace process in Afghanistan is gaining momentum with the U.S. pushing the Afghan government and Taliban to reach a peace deal. A senior-meeting is expected to be held in mid April regarding Afghan peace in Turkey, where representatives of a number of countries around the world, the government delegation and Taliban representatives would participate to discuss the formation of an administration, in which the Taliban could also take part.
The AIHRC conducted interviews with 1,500 people, who are struggling with disabilities, in 22 of 34 provinces. 20 percent of the interviewers were women.
According to the commission’s findings, around 4.5 million Afghans are struggling with disabilities.
Chairman of the commission, Shaharzad Akbar called on the government to pay serious attention to the disabled people.
About 40 percent of the disabled people, who were interviewed, termed bomb blasts as causes for their disabilities.
The report indicated that 38 percent disabled people are facing harassment, insults and humiliation at home and in the community.
More than 71 percent of the respondents said that they were deprived of education. They also complained about lack of access to health services. 45 percent of them said that they didn’t receive salaries on time.
It is worth mentioning that people with disabilities registered with the government receive five thousand salaries per month.
