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    "id": 801644,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/801644/?format=api",
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    "content": "I will expect that this Motion should find a Bill that will be supportive in the form of a legal framework, in order to operationalise and create action on how we need to treat people with disabilities in this country. From my own professional angle, there are various types of disabilities that we see in the country.It is important for any nation that wants to make meaningful development toenumerate and know the number of people with disability and the types of disabilities. There are those disabilities that one can live with and the ones that require a caretaker to take care of them. That is why you have heard some of the Members contributing saying that the category of people who cannot take care of themselves efficiently and effectively are prone to abuse. You have heard stories where particularly the female PWDs are abused. Since they do not understand what is happening and they are put in such agony and pain should they get pregnant because they do not know how to handle the pregnancy with its own social consequences as a result of that abuse. Therefore, we need to know where they are; literally locating where they are and putting complete ownership to the county governments because the health services and social services have been devolved to the county level. Every country must plan for PWDs. If we do not plan, this can turn out to be a disaster. Human rights of the disabled are very well engraved in our Constitution. Leave no one behind; everybody is entitled to that service. I am always worried about the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWDs) dealing with disabilities. They have resources and they tell us that their offices are open throughout the year. How can their offices be open throughout the year and they do not know whom they are serving? That is why I said maybe we should look at the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2003 and see whether there are any areas that require amendments to reinforce. First, every county must know how many PWDs are living within their county. Second, enumerate the types of disabilities;whether they are mental disabilities, visual and albinism with consequences of the kind of sorcerers who go around thinking that by doing the social marketing of body parts that there is a ‘magic healing’ in those body parts. This is total nonsense. We need to protect our population particularly people with albinism, people who are totally displaced who require care. Being taken to the toilet is itself a major agony. There are circumstances where you are in a public place and you want to go to a toilet and it completely disorients you. If that can happen to us, you can imagine the scenario of a PWD who may want to go for a short call. Imagine those people who have to contain their urine and fecal matter all the time and there is nobody to take care of them. That is why one of the speakers here said that they are forced to become housewives who also become tied. Therefore, the issue of torture comes in because they get tied looking after the children. They cannot advance. The state has an obligation to its citizens; whatever level they are and whatever they do. It is important that we look at this Council and see how their functions are detailed and what they do. There is a programme on cash transfer particularly to give full support to those with severe disabilities. As I mentioned earlier, it is about feeding, toiletry and protection from danger by other persons and particularly predators that may cause mischief to such The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}