Disability Rights Bill (LK0032)

Disability Rights bill formulated with public participation in line with UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and enacted by the Parliament by 2020
1st March 2019 – 31st August 2021
Lead implementing agency/actor Ministry in charge of Social Welfare
Commitment description
What is the public problem that the commitment will address? Persons with disabilities do not enjoy equal rights and privileges as other citizens in society. They are deprived of basic entitlements enjoyed by other citizens due to physical and psychological barriers in society. In Sri Lanka, 1.6 M (8.7%) persons are living with disabilities. The existing disability legislation, Act No. 28 of 1996 is limited to access to education, employment and physical accessibility to public places. With the ratification of UNCPRD (UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) in 2016, the government is accountable to prepare local legislation in line with UNCPRD. The proposed Disability Rights Bill, however, has been formulated with the absence of two separate mechanisms, i.e1) coordination of implementation and 2) independent monitoring as per article 33 of UNCPRD.
What is the commitment? The purpose of this commitment is to prepare a revised bill by the Ministry in charge of Social Welfare based on public consultations and in line with UNCPRD.
How will the commitment contribute to solve the public problem? The accommodation of 2 separate mechanisms in disability legislation as per article 33 of the UNCPRD, i.e coordination of implementation and independent monitoring will lead to improvement of the quality of life of persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities will be able to access the draft bill in disability-friendly modes of communication. An island wide publicity campaign will be conducted on the provisions of the Disability Rights Act highlighting the entitlement of persons with disabilities.
Why is this commitment relevant to OGP values? This commitment promotes public accountability as it provides for legislation to promote and ensure the rights of persons with disabilities.
Additional information This commitment promotes the provisions of the National Human Rights Action Plan 2017-2021, disability legislation in Sri Lanka; the recommendations and commitments in the Draft Sustainable Sri Lanka: Vision & Strategic Path and the Vision 2025; targets influencing disability rights in crosscutting Sustainable Development Goals.
Milestone Activity with a verifiable deliverable Start Date: End Date:
1. The existing bill is revised based on public consultations in line with UNCPRD by the Ministry in charge. Already started May 2019
2. The draft will be available in alternative modes of communication for persons with disabilities (i.e. Braille, Sign Language etc.) for comments and feedback December 2019 April 2020
3. Approval by the Parliamentary subcommittee and enactment of revised bill by Parliament May 2020 September 2020
4. The Ministry implements island wide publicity campaign on the provisions of the revised Disability Rights Act highlighting the entitlement of persons with disabilities. October 2020 February 2021