Activists in South Sudan’s Yei River County of Central Equatoria State are reminding parties to the 2018 revitalized peace agreement to enforce the representation of persons living with disabilities.
Adis Victor, the Executive Director for Yei Disable Action Group told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday that parties to the peace agreement have focused on appointments of women and youth and forgotten the persons with disabilities.
“We are raising our voices. We need the representation of persons with disabilities in the state and county and national governments because there is nothing for us without us. Therefore, we need affirmative action representation in the government, he complained.
"Our inclusion has been limited and nobody can talk about the needs of the people with disabilities without us so that we voice our needs by ourselves,” Victor stressed.
Justoson Victor, the Executive Director for Yamora a local NGO in Yei River County urges parties to the peace agreement to ensure that people with disabilities are included in key decision-making positions in the country.
“The concern here is that we have been talking about women, youth, civil society, business group, academia but the minority group which is the people with disabilities have been isolated. Moreover, they equally can manage ministries. They can also participate in nation-building and successful implementation of the peace agreement,” he added.
Victor says undermining the representation of people with disabilities creates a wider gap for the marginalization of minority groups in society.