Itfaq Khaliq Khan<\/p>\n
Over 33 million (14%) people in Pakistan are liv\u00ading with some form of disability or functional difficulty. Majority of them cannot access educa\u00adtion, health, and employment on equitable basis. Edu\u00adcation attainment is lower for people with disabil\u00adities as only a small number of them complete secondary and higher education. This decreas\u00ades the likelihood of their employment in the formal sector. Due to this, their talent remains untapped, and they are deprived of contribut\u00ading for the economic and social development of the society. Their exclusion from the employ\u00adment sector is attributed to lack of skills & educa\u00adtion, attitudes of the society towards them, employers\u2019 policies, cultural barriers, infrastructural barriers, lack of awareness amongst people with disabilities and em\u00adployers. A Labour Market Assessment conducted in 2022 reveals that youth with disabilities cannot reach their aspirations of becoming an active part of the em\u00adployment sector as they are not job ready and employ\u00aders lack confidence in their talent.
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\nPeople with disabilities are generally seen with sym\u00adpathy as a subject of corporate social responsibility by the corporate sector organisation. Some small and me\u00addium enterprises are ready to pay the salaries to peo\u00adple 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 disabil\u00adities. Nonetheless, people with disabilities don\u2019t de\u00adserve just a salary but a meaningful inclusion in the job market to contribute for economic development.
\nPeople with disabilities are the single largest minori\u00adty. They should not be considered recipients of Corpo\u00adrate Social Responsibility funds but should be seen as valued consumers and contributors.
\nThe Government of Pakistan has international com\u00admitments to ensure equal rights of Persons with Dis\u00adabilities. It has ratified UNCRPD in 2011 that shows government\u2019s commitment to the cause. Government is also committed to ILO conventions and Sustainable De\u00advelopment Goals (SDGs) The Agenda 2030. These com\u00admitments are also reflected in the government policies that aim to safeguard the Rights of Persons with Disabil\u00adities. The approval of disability acts in Sindh 2018, Bal\u00aduchistan 2017, Punjab 2022, Gilgit-Baltistan 2019, and ICT Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2020 are evi\u00addent of Pakistan\u2019s commitment to disability rights.
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\nHowever, implementation of these acts needs efforts by public and private sector. Private sector has greater role to play as it creates more job opportunities.
\nTo 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 mod\u00adels. That needs favourable employers\u2019 policies, adap\u00adtations 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 ac\u00adcount. People with disabilities should be taken as valu\u00adable resource as well as valued consumers. Inclusion of people with disabilities at workplaces is the respon\u00adsibility of all and needs a collective effort by public and private sector as well as society at large.
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\nPakistan Business and Disability Network (PBDN) provides all stakeholders (Employers, Employers Fed\u00aderations, People with Disabilities and international partners) with a platform for collaborative efforts to promote inclusion of youth with disabilities at work\u00adplaces. PBDN is recently established inline with ILO\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Itfaq Khaliq Khan Over 33 million (14%) people in Pakistan are liv\u00ading with some form of disability or functional difficulty. Majority of them cannot access educa\u00adtion, health, and employment on equitable basis. Edu\u00adcation attainment is lower for people with disabil\u00adities as only a small number of them complete secondary and higher education. This decreas\u00ades the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[13221],"class_list":{"0":"post-376775","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-itfaq-khaliq-khan"},"yoast_head":"\n