Itfaq Khaliq Khan
Over 33 million (14%) people in Pakistan are living with some form of disability or functional difficulty. Majority of them cannot access education, health, and employment on equitable basis. Education attainment is lower for people with disabilities as only a small number of them complete secondary and higher education. This decreases the likelihood of their employment in the formal sector. Due to this, their talent remains untapped, and they are deprived of contributing for the economic and social development of the society. Their exclusion from the employment sector is attributed to lack of skills & education, attitudes of the society towards them, employers’ policies, cultural barriers, infrastructural barriers, lack of awareness amongst people with disabilities and employers. A Labour Market Assessment conducted in 2022 reveals that youth with disabilities cannot reach their aspirations of becoming an active part of the employment sector as they are not job ready and employers lack confidence in their talent.
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People with disabilities are generally seen with sympathy as a subject of corporate social responsibility by the corporate sector organisation. Some small and medium enterprises are ready to pay the salaries to people with disabilities at their homes in sympathy but are not willing to accept them at workplaces. Inclusion of people with disabilities in the job market is seen as a favour but not as a right of those living with disabilities. Nonetheless, people with disabilities don’t deserve just a salary but a meaningful inclusion in the job market to contribute for economic development.
People with disabilities are the single largest minority. They should not be considered recipients of Corporate Social Responsibility funds but should be seen as valued consumers and contributors.
The Government of Pakistan has international commitments to ensure equal rights of Persons with Disabilities. It has ratified UNCRPD in 2011 that shows government’s commitment to the cause. Government is also committed to ILO conventions and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) The Agenda 2030. These commitments are also reflected in the government policies that aim to safeguard the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The approval of disability acts in Sindh 2018, Baluchistan 2017, Punjab 2022, Gilgit-Baltistan 2019, and ICT Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2020 are evident of Pakistan’s commitment to disability rights.
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However, implementation of these acts needs efforts by public and private sector. Private sector has greater role to play as it creates more job opportunities.
To ensure equitable opportunities for people with disabilities, the business and industry need to move away from traditional medical and charity model of disability towards a social and rights-based models. That needs favourable employers’ policies, adaptations in infrastructure, communication processes. This is not possible without making adaptations in the policies, infrastructure, communication processes and attitudes towards people with disabilities. Employers also needs to take ethical rationale of business into account. People with disabilities should be taken as valuable resource as well as valued consumers. Inclusion of people with disabilities at workplaces is the responsibility of all and needs a collective effort by public and private sector as well as society at large.
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Pakistan Business and Disability Network (PBDN) provides all stakeholders (Employers, Employers Federations, People with Disabilities and international partners) with a platform for collaborative efforts to promote inclusion of youth with disabilities at workplaces. PBDN is recently established inline with ILO’s Global Business and Disability Network. Corporate employers in Pakistan should join PBDN to play their role to promote disability inclusion as a human rights issue to ensure that No One is Left Behind.
