By Elsie Appiah-Osei
Accra, Aug 1, GNA – Ms Lariba Zuweria Abudu, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Tuesday said the Ministry was in the process of amending the Persons with Disability Act 2006 (Act 715) in line with the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability.
That would promote, protect and ensure full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms including the right to education, health, employment and transport by all disabled persons, she said.
The reviewed Act proposes tax exemptions for employers and training for unemployed persons with disability (PWDs) to increase the rate of their employment.
Ms Abudu said this on the floor of Parliament when she responded to a question from Mr Mohmmed Adamu Ramadan, a National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Adentan, on behalf of Mr Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu, the NDC MP for Madina.
Mr Adamu Ramadan inquired about the measures in place to ensure an increase in employment of PWDs in line with the Sustainable Development Goals Eight and 10.
Ms Abudu said the Ministry had also made inputs in the development of the Employment Equity Policy by the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to promote equitable employment opportunities for PWDs in the labour market, especially in public service.
While SDG-Eight aims to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all, Goal 10 calls for reducing inequalities in income as well as those based on age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status within a country.
The Goal also addresses inequalities among countries, including those related to representation, migration and development assistance.
The SGDs are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed by the UN in 2015 to serve as a “shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.”
GNA