Promoting Rights of Disabled People in Rwanda

Promoting Employment Rights of Disabled People in Rwanda

An awareness-raising workshop on the employment rights of disabled people organised under the Employment Support Programme for Disabled Workers in Rwanda has highlighted the lack of job opportunities and widespread discrimination despite specific anti-discrimination legislation and constitutional provisions. The workshop held in July 2014 in the Rwandan capital Kigali brought together 30 participants including trade union leaders and representatives from the Ministry of Labour and the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD). TUC Aid is supporting the initiative implemented by Disability Aid Abroad – a Northern Ireland charity – in partnership with CESTRAR – Rwandan national trade union centre.

The event which focused on awareness-raising among trade unionists of employment and human rights of disabled workers also discussed ways of accommodating disabled workers in union structures and of facilitating their access to employment opportunities. Mrs Mukazayire Christine of the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), in her address to the workshop, referred to the laws, policies and practices on the employment of disabled people and pointed out that a disabled person should enjoy the same rights as any other person. She added that there were special employment programmes for disabled people which included:

• Micro financing and specialized training
• Support for forming associations and cooperatives and starting income generating activities
• Measures for the employment of disabled persons in the public and private sectors
• Measures designed to make work environment conducive and favourable to disabled persons

Mr Nkundimana Hobess, a labour inspector, representing the Ministry of Labour, clarified the current legislation on discrimination against disabled people, stressing that the law prohibits any discrimination against disabled people at workplace and that it stipulates that every workplace should have facilities for disabled workers. Miss Kabibi Kacyira Jowe, assistant project coordinator, speaking on the role of trade unions in securing decent work for persons with disabilities, emphasized the need for the labour movement to commit itself to equality of opportunity for disabled workers and added that  advocacy on the rights of disabled workers could strengthen the position of the trade union movement as a whole and that workplace adaptations designed to accommodate disabled workers had the potential to improve working conditions for all. The participants noted the need for amendments to union constitutions and collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) for the inclusion of provisions on disabled workers and considered the possibility of establishing a disabled workers’ committee in the CESTRAR.