The Maldives signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in October 2007. Mr. Simon Walker, Human Rights Officer from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, was here in the Maldives last week to meet with relevant people in the government, NGOs, persons with disabilities, and parents of persons with disabilities and to explain what the convention was really about.
So what does it mean for persons with disabilities in the Maldives?
I attended two meetings, one targeting government workers in fields relating to disability issues, NGOs, and individuals already working in fields related to this issue. I was a mere observer because I wanted to familiarize myself with the issues relating to the CRPD, though I have to note that there was not much to take in there. Mr. Walker introduced the basic idea behind CRPD and obvious questions from members of the audience related to how the UN will make sure Maldives will follow what it has accepted by signing the convention.
The other meeting, on the other hand, which was aimed at persons with disabilities and their parents, was very intense. I participated in this meeting as a translator due to a request from a friend at Handicap International in Maldives, who were one of the organizers of these information sessions. They thought it would be nice to have a translator in hand in case members of the audience needed help in raising their thoughts in Dhivehi. I was a bit nervous going there, but pretty excited as I was going to meet new people and learn something new. But I have to admit that I did not expect much action, so I went there with the intention of lending a bit of help in translating Mr. Walker’s words and maybe also one or two comments from the participants.
It started pretty slow, with the main concept of the CRPD being explained by Mr. Walker, and I trying to explain all that in shortest, simplest way in Dhivehi, although I had to get help from members of the audience at times for the right Dhivehi term used for a specific word relating to the subject of disability. And as in routine, when the presentation was done, Mr. Walker asked if any one had any questions or comments. Well, the thing is, the Maldivian government, by signing this convention has basically pledged to ‘promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.’ So, considering the current status of persons with disability in the Maldives, you can imagine how the questioning stage would proceed. It would be right to say that the participants were ‘tongue-tied’ at first. They were probably thinking… ‘Where do we start? Do you have the whole day to listen to us? Do you have any answers? Or is this just another fruitless gathering to make us feel better?’
The comments, questions, and concerns of participants started coming in slowly. It turned out that I was pretty useful as a translator or facilitator after all, because a lot of the parents or local workers in the field of disability seemed more confident to ask their questions and share their feelings due the fact that they were able to express their thoughts and grievances in Dhivehi. And also, probably the setting for the discussion was pretty informal, encouraging more participation from the audience. Everyone were sat in lines of a semi circle, the speaker and translators, including the sign language translator stood at the front, without the normal head tables, podiums, or microphones.
Anyhow, questions from the audience started pretty much the same as the first session I mentioned earlier. That is, how is the UN going to make sure that the Maldivian government will actually do what it has agreed with the signing of the convention? Mr. Walker did not obviously speak for the government of Maldives, since he was there just to provide information about the clauses and desired effects of the convention. He explained that the Maldivian government and necessary bodies in the Maldives are required to report their activities in relation to the convention around the end of 2009, so that the UN can see what has already been done. Of course, the UN cannot force governments or the people of a nation to do anything. So as Mr. Walker and speakers from Handicap International, and also from the Human Rights Commission in Maldives suggested, it was more in the hands of the people now to make sure that the relevant government bodies conform to the standards agreed in the convention.
One thing I noted; people lacked confidence in the system. Some of the first questions were targeted around this issue. Some parents of children with disability expressed a sort of helplessness because their kids with disability had no opportunity for self development, no access to adequate medical services, or a proper living environment. Some, because they are not getting what they expect from the government. Others, because they did not know what they could do themselves to make the future brighter for their children because they knew their kids could be so much more productive if there were avenues for proper education or vocational training. The other thing was that a lot of them wanted someone, the government, an international or local NGO, to do something for them. I guess this is quite natural since there is not much of a current framework or platform for persons with disabilities or their parents to bring out their views or exchange ideas and contribute to the betterment of issues surrounding persons with disability.
So in a sense, this meeting with the parents about the UN convention was great success! First, it gave people the opportunity to express their feelings. Second, the after sessions that followed with drinks and group discussions allowed people with similar needs and problems to come together to some extent. Now the next step, as it was stressed a lot of times during the presentations made, is for persons with disability and/or their parents to come together to form a permanent collaborative force, to exchange ideas, to act as pressure groups to make sure the government is conforming to the convention, and to get involved as much as they can in the development of a society that ‘promotes, protects and ensures the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities’.
Of course, it is way easier said than done. At the end of the session, I met a lot of parents and listened to their individual stories of hopes, efforts, and sometimes desperation. Some parents pledged to contribute in any way they can. Most, I could see were determined to go to extreme lengths to find the best for their children; they just needed a little nudge along the right way.
Personally, I think that the most important issue surrounding the talk of disability issues in Maldives right now is the issue of awareness. Do people in our society actually like to know about the issues surrounding disability in our country? If not, why is it so? Why is the subject of disability still such a ‘taboo’ in our society, so much so that we are sometimes unable to look in the eye of a person with a disability or their relatives? Can we change this soon enough, so that our children do not see these taboos as the norm of their adulthood? Of course we can, but first our society has to learn to look in the eye, and realize that there is a big untouched issue here that needs to touched, opened for the public, and acted upon. Maybe then, the little kids born in a different way will not have to hide away in their rooms all day, and then maybe we can all learn to say ‘how are you?’, or ‘what is your name?’, just as we would ask any normal child who we want to befriend.
