Our Work

Background

Around 10 percent of the world population, i.e. 650 million people are living with disabilities. They are the world’s largest minorities. Unfortunately their numbers are constantly increasing. Women and girls with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to abuses. In Odisha it has been seen that all of the women and girls with disabilities are physically abused at their home, 25 per cent of women with intellectual disabilities had been raped and 6 per cent of women with disabilities had been forcibly sterilized. PWDs in Odisha constitute 2.1 percent of the population of the state (Odisha). PWDs belonging to minorities groups, indigenous communities and Dalits are in more dismal condition. Solidarity by national and international bodies, including United Nation and prominent civil societies could bring some respite. Now persons with physical deformities are not longer considered disabled; they are rather recognized as differentially-able. But the woes of PWDs still persists, majority of them are deprived of their rightful entitlements. Enormous efforts are needed to remove their sufferings and fulfill their basic need. The stigma treating disabled persons as curse still continues. Nevertheless, showing sympathy to them as humanitarian gesture, disregarding their talent is even worse than this stigma.

Intervention

• CSNR has spearheaded advocacy to convince Government to accept and implement the recommendation of Shadow Report.
• CSNR has also lobbied with statutory Human Rights Institutions such as NHRC, NCM and NCPWD to obtain their solidarity to the cause.
• Networking with similar organization working at national and international level for people with disability.
• Periodic state and local level meetings and workshops are done for sensitizing different stakeholders including government officials, elected & PRI representatives, media persons, community leaders and other stakeholders on the issues of PWDs

What has been done so far?

A study has been conducted on the conditions of PWDs in Odisha, Shadow Report has been submitted to United Nations Committee on Rights of the Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). A number of state and local level meetings & workshops have been organized.

Accomplishment

• Shadow Report on rights of PWDs belonging to minority communities has been developed and submitted to UN-CRPD on 10th February 2019.CSNR is consistently lobbying with the officials of Government of India to accept the recommendations of the Shadow Report.
• UN Officials and other countries (state and non-State actors) are being influenced to help raise the issue at CRPD.
• Periodic state and local level meetings and workshops are done for sensitizing different stakeholders including government officials, elected & PRI representatives, media persons, community leaders and other stakeholders on the issues of PWDs.

Current Engagement

State and local level meetings & workshops are being organized from time to time on the issues of PWDs. CSNR and Minority Rights Groups (MRG) are working for the rights of persons with disability and for minority rights in association with several organizations, who are already engaged in the advocacy for the minority rights at UN level.

Ways Ahead

• CSNR is aiming to take up the issue(s) of disabled persons among minority communities at the UN level and is planning to submit a report on the conditions of PWDs belonging to ethnic and religious minorities groups in India.
• CSNR is also intending to participate in the India-specific briefing session. CSNR is intensively involved with the Government and different statutory human rights institutions to influence their plans, policies and programme for higher inclusion of PWDs.