DITSHWANELO press statement on International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Tuesday, December 08, 2015
People living with disabilities worldwide, face many barriers to inclusion in society. There is constrained access to participate in society on a basis equal to other persons, in terms of, for example, access to and use of transportation, employment, education, and in social and political engagement.
On 2 December 2015, the Midweek Sun newspaper published an article with a heading “Help for Mentally Retarded Available”. The term “retarded” is a medical word used to describe someone who is mentally slow.Mental ‘retardation’ is considered to be an insulting and inappropriate term, which fails to respect the dignity of the person.
The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...