LEAVING MANY BEHIND. SHALL WE?

When conflict crisis occur and you are running for safety, think about how the blinds run for cover? Think about how the deaf are communicated about what is happening in such coerced situation? Not to talk of others living with disability, they struggle for safety that is difficult. The assumption is that there are no data globally to track and show how many persons with disability are killed during violent conflict, or conflict caused by able bodied persons. Come to think of it for instance in Nigeria, how many people with disabilities are left behind in poverty, how individual, families and society marginalized them, how Government programs are less focus on them, how policies are made without them, how they are left out of governance and democracy and why they can barely own properties and so on and so forth. All this is a burden to them and I wondered sometimes, why Olympic Games and Paralympics are timed marginalized. I will leave that question for you to answer?    

To my mind, all this leaves so many people behind on their minds and I am asking how Sustainable Development Goals of “Leaving No One Behind” would be achieved,14 years from now? Of the 17 SDGs, goal 8, 11 and 16 respectively is geared at promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, productive employment and decent work for all; make cities and human settlement inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Promote access to justice for all and build effective, accountable inclusive institutions at all levels.

In Nigeria, person with disability are neglected from childhood as they are seen as a “cause” to parents. They are groomed as weak, and good for  nothing children. The worst are female amongst them. They are abandoned and refused education. This pushes many of them into prostitution, vulnerability for infection including HIV/AIDS and unwanted pregnancies, drug abuse, forced marriage and deepen poverty. But to my mind, I know the door to disability is not closed in as much as we are alive, any can become. If that will make us change our minds the way we treat them, so be it. I wish we can treat this people as equal. They are human too. And all human are born equal.

There are so many reasons and causes for disability and most of them are as result of violent crisis, road and industrial accident, poor nutrition, lack of access to quality heath care, environmental pollution, unacceptability of immunization etc.  Unfortunately, most people with disability are with it not by choice, some out of negligence of parents and many due to irresponsible governance.

At schools and jobs opening, they are marginalized and left in isolation which often results in street begging for survival. Technologically, how friendly are we with this group? What are chances of soft and hard ware or web application development is targeted this group,  to enable them easy access to the internet? And you will realize we had left many behind for so long. An accessible internet for all holds enormous potential to heighten the inclusion of people with disabilities, facilitating telework, online education, participation in e-government, and formation of relationships that overcome barriers and challenges in the physical world. 
      

“Leaving No One Behind” is good goal set as target in achieving SDGs by 2030. Meaning that and by implication to the context of this write up, everybody irrespective of whom you are, what and how you are, should be carried along so his/her voice would be heard.

In Nigeria, is difficult task for bill to protect people with disability to be passed for over a decade and counting. That is not justifying and is not inclusive at all. That, a bill for persons with disability has been with Nigerian law makers for that long without accent? Iss equals to nothing been done at all.

This is excusable on the difference in view with Government/law makers and people with disability. In short, how many law makers are people with disability? Do they really know what these people face? They do not feel the need for the passage of the bill. Ask if our President have adviser for people with disability? But take a look at how many advisers he have? Then you will conclude on why they consider that people with disability lives doesn’t matter? But I tell you it does. Learn to carry all along so that we wouldn’t leave no one behind.