3 December is the International Day of Disabled Persons all over the world. This holiday was proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 14 October 1992.
Over the years, the policy towards people with disabilities has gone from the usual care of people with disabilities in appropriate institutions to receiving a full education and rights on an equal basis with all other categories of citizens. Concepts such as the integration and inclusion of people with disabilities in the normal life of society were emerged, reflecting a growing understanding of the potential possibilities of this category of people. At the same time, the problems of persons with disabilities are increasingly highlighted in developing countries. In some of these states, the percentage of people with disabilities of total population is very high, and this group is usually the poorest in society.
It is with the aim to draw the attention of the population to the problems of persons who have lost their ability to work, as well as to protect their rights, freedoms and dignity, this holiday date was introduced.
It is necessary to understand that the problem of protecting the rights of people with disabilities is extremely important, since according to the UN, more than one billion people have one or other form of disability, of which 80% live in developing countries, and 50% of people with disabilities cannot afford health-care services.
Every year the holiday is held under a new slogan. On this day, concert programs, conferences and meetings of disabled people are organized. Extracurricular lessons, conversations and discussions are carried out in educational institutions.
In the DPR, as well as throughout the world, the problem of observance of the rights of people with disabilities is acute. The state is pursuing an active policy aimed at providing assistance, benefits and support to people with one or other form of disabilities.
The Human Rights Ombudsman in the Donetsk People’s Republic calls on citizens to show concern and pay more attention to the problems of people with disabilities. After all, only by caring for each other, we can build a worthy future for us and our children.