Mogadishu Mayor and Banadir Governor Yussuf Hussein Madaale promised to double the number of public service employees living with disabilities if he is elected President in August.
Speaking when he met hundreds of persons living with disabilities at the headquarters of the City Administration, Madaale said his government will ensure they are treated with dignity and awarded more available opportunities.
He said he will ensure they access more employment opportunities and tenders during his tenure as the head of the administration.
“All Persons living with disabilities in Mogadishu who require any services from the municipality will be exempted from paying any money for services conducted for them,†said Mayor Yussuf Madale.
Mayor Madaale said the disabled were yet to be properly appreciated in the country facing stigma and mobility challenges.Â
Adults and children with disabilities in Somalia have been found to be subject to various forms of verbal, physical and sexual abuse at higher levels than their non-disabled peers. Women and girls with disabilities faced an increased risk of sexual violence, often with impunity.
Persons with disabilities of all age groups have been identified as a particularly marginalized and at-risk group within the Somali society.Â
The number of people with disabilities in Somalia is likely to be higher than the global estimate of 15 percent of the population due to the long period of conflict, humanitarian emergencies and limited access to health care,
Somalia enacted the National Disability Agency Bill in December 2018, ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in August 2019, and launched the National Disability Agency in July 2021.
The Somali Government and its International partners have been committed to supporting the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities.
This year, the National Disability Rights Bill could be finalized and to be put into law in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.