NGO starts monitoring human rights of PWDs

Quezon City (31 October) -- The Katipunan ng Maykapansanan sa Pilipinas, Inc. (KAMPI) has launched a campaign to monitor the human rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in partnership with Disability Rights Promotion International (DRPI), university-based project in Canada.

The campaign launch was made during a training activity sponsored by KAMPI and DRPI last October 20-27 at Norfil Foundation Bldg. in Quezon City with the theme "Monitoring the Individual Human Rights Experiences of Persons with Disabilities in the Philippines."

In her speech during the event, Dr. Marcia Rioux, Co-Director of DRPI said: "One of the objectives of the study is to let the small group of people help another set or group of people. It is the same as stating that disabled persons help other PWDs from other parts of the globe. We are a small body but with a spirit of great sense of determination that will make a difference."

Dr. Rioux also said: "Our government will put things in order, like making pertinent laws, but it is up to us to bring change and justice. If each person joins the other person and this group of persons will be joined by other people in their (respective) countries it will surely bring great changes. And that's how big changes happen in history... It is like putting it this way, great things starts from small beginnings. This will lead not only in making other laws (related to PWDs) but in the effective implementation and improvement of present laws specifically the UNCRPD".

After the training, eight (8) Site Coordinators and 18 Monitors will conduct their field work to interview the different types of persons with disabilities in four (4) major areas namely: NCR, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Notably, these Site Coordinators and Monitors are not your usual abled persons but are persons with disabilities themselves. Interview guides, including the training materials used, were translated into their respective dialects as well as in Braille (for visual impaired monitors).

KAMPI Secretariat Executive Director Sonia Rina Figueroa also explained that, "what is unique in this study is that the persons with disabilities are the ones themselves who will conduct their research and interviews on individual human rights experiences with their fellow persons with disabilities. It is monitoring and documenting their own experiences and consequently reporting the outputs of their research. All involved persons in this research are PWDs. The Secretariat itself is a practitioner of this dictum. Non- PWDs involved in this project, during the training and the field work, are limited only to the Head Data Analyst and the guides and interpreters of the Site Coordinators and Monitors."

The project will run from October 2008 to January 2009. KAMPI and DRPI is doing this project of collecting information about the lives and experiences of persons with disabilities in order to see if their human rights are being respected in the Philippines.

According to the materials prepared by DRPI for the training, the information collected will be studied and reports will be written. It noted that "The names of participants will not be mentioned in the reports unless they have given their clear permission to do so. These reports will then be made available to organizations of persons with disabilities, other groups working to improve the lives of persons with disabilities, the media and governments."

"The reports to be derived and made from this project are to be used to: let people know about violations of the rights of persons with disabilities, help stop human rights violations, provide facts to back up arguments for changes in laws, policies, and programs to improve the lives of persons with disabilities, keep track of the steps that the government has taken or has failed to take in order to fulfill the promises it has made to persons with disabilities when it signed agreements at the United Nations saying that it would protect, promote and fulfill the rights of persons with disabilities."

The training was also supported by ExIST, Inc. for logistics and events secretariat support, the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) for the use of one of their rooms as one of the training venues, the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and the Department of Education (DECS) for assisting KAMPI in putting into Braille the training material. Among the special guests of the event were: Dr. Renante A. Basas (Director IV) from the Commission on Human Rights, Mr. Mateo Lee, Jr. (OIC- NCDA), and Mr. Lauro Purcil, Jr. (Chairman of the National Committee on UN Convention of Sectoral Council of PWD). (KAMPI/PIA