On Monday July 16, the Government of Tajikistan (GoT), UNICEF and sister UN agencies, as well as civil society partners are today launching a national public awareness campaign to promote respect for the rights and dignity of children, women and men with disabilities, and to challenge prevailing misconceptions and reduce stigma about disability. The overall aim of this initiative is to create a more inclusive society with opportunity for all.
According to the UNICEF's Tajikistan Country Office, the campaign will run under the overall motto of “Each One of Us is Able” as a reminder that every member of Tajik society is able to make an important contribution to stability, cohesion and prosperity.
Tajikistan signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in March 2018, paving the way for progressive legal and policy changes that will further promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities. This campaign seeks to support the efforts of the Government of Tajikistan towards the implementation of the CRPD.
The launch event was formally opened by the First Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population, Ms. Saida Umarzoda, the UN Resident Coordinator, Dr. Pratibha Mehta, UNICEF Representative in Tajikistan, Mr. Luciano Calestini, and the Ambassador of Japan to Tajikistan, H.E. Hajime Kitaoka. Following the opening, performances and stories by people with disabilities were delivered.
This first six-month campaign was designed within the framework of Tajikistan’s 2017-2020 National Programme on Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, and aims to promote a socially inclusive society.
Over time, this campaign and the subsequent ones aim to bring about the following changes: a) knowledge about disability among the public at large is improved and misconceptions corrected; b) all members of society – young children, youth and adults without disabilities – adopt more positive attitudes towards persons with disabilities in their communities; c) confidence and competence of children with disabilities are nurtured and supported to enable them to participate in their own development; d) negative attitudes and barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from making their full contribution to society are reduced; and e) parents of children with disabilities develop capacity to decide the most suitable care for their children outside of residential institutions.
In the coming weeks and months, various media materials produced under the framework of this campaign, such as TV and radio talk-shows and short animation movies, will reach the wider community in Tajikistan through local media and community mobilization efforts.
