Daily Times

ISLAMABAD:  Benazir Income Support Programme BISP Chairperson Marvi Memon stressed on the need to provide disabled persons in Pakistan with the required support, educational, medical and financial assistance.

On Friday, Ms Memon spoke on the launch of the pilot project on care for the disabled on the International day for People with Disabilities. She said that the rights of the disabled need to be kept in mind while making policy on poverty alleviation.

Attending the event were BISP beneficiaries as well as special children.

The purpose of the International day for People with Disabilities is to show support for the disabled. During the ceremony, three physically disabled children were nominated as brand ambassadors of BISP.

The Chairperson said that the needs of the three children will be tended to by the BISP and they will emerge as a source of inspiration and hope other facing similar challenges. She added the selection of the BISP brand ambassadors will be extended to other provinces and regions as well.

The efforts of the BISP were appreciated by the parents of the children. The need of the present government to give importance to the specific needs of these children were emphasised upon.

The chairperson directed her team to facilitate in enrolling beneficiary children to special educational institutes and rehabilitation centers in order to enable them to compete on the same level as ordinary children and be self sufficient in future. She added that medical treatment would be provided to them under Prime Minister National Health Programme.

The chairperson instructed her team to contact Bait-ul-Maal for the provision of automatic wheel chairs and other facilities for the BISP beneficiaries.

Up to date population census data is imperative for policy making on poverty and disability, Ms Memon insisted.

BISP’s National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER) findings state that 2.27 million out of 133 million population surveyed in Pakistan in 2010 have some form of disability.

The prevalence of disability has reduced over the period, as disability prevalence was found to be 2.5% in 1998 census and is 1.7% as per NSER. Males account for 57.8% and females for 42.2% of total disabled population.

Where in India the population consensus occurs after every decade through the use of biometric technology, in Pakistan the last census was held in 1998, and the results for the population of the disabled were hotly contested by human rights organizations as being underrepresented.

According to the 1998 census, 7.6% of the disabled in Pakistan were classified as ‘mentally retarded’. The latter cannot be taken as an umbrella term for all disabilities as it does not differentiate between physical and mental disabilities such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, Down’s syndrome and others.

The result is that institutions are not adequately qualified with dealing with the specific needs of these children. Moreover, there is an acute lack of understanding of the spectrum of disabilities exhibited by the children.