Section V:
The rights of persons with disabilities and handicaps: advantages and obstacles
1. T
he state’s concern about the rights of persons with disabilities and the like, and its commitment
to ensuring that this special category enjoys all their rights, and other rights which they share with
others, is a basic standard of the civilization level in the field of social welfare. The rights of persons
with disabilities vary in particular from the rest of the rights in their content and nature. Hence,
the rights of this group aim to satisfy their own needs through the transition from segregation
to integration, and from care and compassion to the enjoyment of rights and from exclusion to
inclusion. These rights also promote their effective community participation, in order to be able to
contribute to it building and development.
2. T
he attention of the Kingdom of Bahrain in this category is based on the belief that the category
of persons with disabilities are able to assist in the advancement of society and the state towards
progress, and that disability does not stand in their way of life. This was reflected in the keenness
of the leadership in the Kingdom of Bahrain to promote, protect and ensure that this category
enjoys equal all rights and fundamental freedoms with others; Also, to promote respect for their
inherent dignity by taking necessary actions and measures and providing facilities for this category,
ranging from enacting legislation which guarantees their rights, through the ratification of relevant
international conventions, right down to providing better health services, social welfare, and
conducting field projects and providing professional services in a manner that reflects positively on
this category and their families.
3. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Bahrain in Article No. (5) of paragraph (c) ensured social security
for a range of categories, as that Article stipulates: “The State shall ensure the accomplishment of
necessary social security for citizens in old age, sickness, inability to work, orphanhood, widowhood
or unemployment. The State shall also provide them with services of social insurance and medical
care, and strive to protect them from ignorance fear and poverty”.
4. A
t the level of national legislation, Law No. (74) for the year 2006, and its amendments, tackled the
care and rehabilitation and employment of the disabled to provide for the category of persons with
their right to care and rehabilitation, and employment. The law addressed a number of provisions
that included the obligation of the concerned ministries and agencies to provide organized and
ongoing services to this category, particularly in the medical, social, educational, cultural, sports,
employment, transportation, housing and other fields. And in order to effectuate it, the law
stipulated that the relevant ministry - the Ministry of Labour and Social Development – should
establish rehabilitation centers and institutions, and care institutions and enabling workshops for
the disabled, as well as shelters necessary for this category.
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