Hon. Suwaibou Touray, Vice-Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Constitutional Matters, has informed his colleagues that the Standing Committee had recommended the need for the National Assembly to amend the ‘Persons with Disabilities Bill’.
The PDOIS NAM for Wuli East was speaking last Monday, while laying the Standing Committee’s report on the Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2020. Hon. Touray further told the nation’s lawmakers that the Committee had scrutinized each clause of the bill to ensure its compliance with the 1997 constitution, international laws and best practices.
During the consideration of the bill, he disclosed, the committee consulted most of the stakeholders, including the Gambia Federation for the Disabled.
According to Touray, the bill complements section 31 of the 1997 constitution which, inter alia said, ‘In any judicial proceedings in which a disabled person is a party, the procedure shall take his or her condition into account’.
The NAM cited provisions of the bill such as the establishment of national funds for persons with disabilities, obligation to provide social support to persons with disabilities, prohibition of discrimination against persons with disabilities, as some of the progressive provisions that provide adequate protection to persons with disabilities.
“Disability includes having long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment, be amended to disability, which would include having physical, mental, intellectual, sensory, visual or hearing impairment and conditions,” Touray explained, among other things.
The Disabilities Bill was tabled by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lawyer Dawda A. Jallow, in the 2020 legislative year. The bill seeks to complement section 31 of the 1997 constitution in the protection of persons with disabilities against discrimination and exploitation.
The bill was debated on by the National Assembly and referred to the said Standing Committee for further scrutiny and report back on its findings to the plenary, for final scrutiny, consideration and adoption.
Lawmakers who weighed in on the bill, all unanimously commended the committee for carrying out what they described as hectic and tedious, but yet, an all-important engagement.
“The bill seeks to give protection of the persons with disabilities by the state and law, with the objective of having a sense of belonging to the society,” it was noted.
After a lengthy debate on the report, it was subsequently adopted. The next stage of the bill, which is the plenary consideration, would be scheduled as part of the session.
