Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 9 /Trend, K.Zarbaliyeva/
Starting from the next year, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) will conduct research on disability rights in Azerbaijan, the head of the UNICEF Child Protection Program Munir Mammadzadeh said on Friday at a roundtable, organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and dedicated December 10 - International Human Rights Day.
According to him, the investigation will examine gaps in the law regarding protection of the rights of the disabled people, the restrictions available for disabled in the service sector.
According to program manager, the possibilities of disabled are limited in the service sector. The disabled have limited access to courts and protection of their rights in the social sphere, education and health.
He said that according to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to which Azerbaijan has joined, the state should consider disabled as a subject of law, and create conditions for them, equal with the conditions created for others.
According Mammadzadeh, in January 2011 the Government of Azerbaijan will prepare a report on the implementation of the Convention's requirements. According to him, UNICEF is participating in the preparation of this report. Drawing up an alternative report by non-governmental organizations is important, said Mammadzadeh, adding that it is possible that UNICEF will take part in its drafting.
People with disabilities in Azerbaijan makes up 4.9 percent of the total population
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), if the number of persons with disabilities is 6-10 percent of the total population, this is normal. According to official information, currently there are over 430,000 disabled in Azerbaijan, 11,000 of whom were injured during the Karabakh war.