The Fourth Technical Consultation on Stepping Up protection of Children with Disabilities in South Asia opened in Colombo concludes today.

The Technical consultation is being organized by the SAIEVAC Regional Secretariat, supported by the South Asia Coordinating Group on Action against Violence against Children,(SACG), the SAARC Development Fund (SDF) and hosted by the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Affairs of Sri Lanka. The Conference is discussing technical strategies for the prevention of violence against children.

The Convention is unique in that it calls for a “paradigm shift” both in attitudes and treatment of persons with disabilty in order to change attitudes and approaches which view the disabled as “objects of charity” and instead see them as individuals with human rights.It also puts forth a more “revolutionary” view by further elaborating on how to address, promote and realize human rights of persons with disabilities as opposed to claiming or identifying additional rights on behalf of this group. It further articulates the roles that government, NGOs and other stakeholders can play in countering invisibility and removing barriers to participation through an approach which champions both respect for dignity and human rights. And as very eloquently stated, many of the barriers faced by children with disabilities, including having their abilities over looked, capacities under-estimated and needs placed at a lower priority, are more a reflection of the external, social-cultural environment in which they live as compared to limitations associated with their actual physical, sensory or emotional impairments