Today, the Senate discussed the course of the formation of an inclusive public environment in the country. A meeting dedicated to the protection of the rights of people with special needs was held under the chairmanship of Speaker of the House Maulen Ashimbayev. It was attended by senators, Minister of Labor and Social Protection Serik Shapkenov, as well as representatives of a number of organizations involved with the problems of this category of people.
Maulen Ashimbayev opened the meeting by noting that the significance of the formation of an inclusive social environment was highlighted by the Head of State at the meeting of the National Council of Public Trust in February of this year. The Senate Speaker reminded that supporting people with special needs is a sensitive indicator of the level of development and maturity of society. However, although comprehensive efforts are being undertaken in the country to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities, there are still issues that require their solution.
“It must be admitted that despite all the steps taken by the state, there are still pressing issues concerning the creation of an effective system for the social protection of people with disabilities. This is confirmed by appeals from various nongovernmental organizations. So today we have invited all interested parties to the meeting: senators, officials from government authorities and organizations representing people with disabilities. We should together discuss these problematic issues, learn your opinions and identify further steps to improve the legislation in this field,” the Speaker of the Senate noted.
The adoption of the law on social protection of certain categories of citizens should serve as one of the systemic steps to improve the situation in this area. The document being considered by deputies of the Parliament aims at solving the problems of protection and support of people with special needs.
Statistically, there are over 695,000 people with disabilities in our country, of whom 60% (419.8 thousand) are of working age. The Senate Speaker said that in this context, social labels continue to be one of the main obstacles for people to fully realize their potential in every aspect of life.
“We need to take steps, including legislative ones, which will minimize and then completely eliminate stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination against people with disabilities,” Maulen Ashimbayev added.
According to the Senate Speaker, the work to protect the rights of people with special needs, in which all the parties concerned are involved, will also be continued in the future.
Chairman of the Senate Maulen Ashimbayev emphasized that all suggestions raised at the meeting should be taken into account in improving the legislation and making decisions to enhance the work in this respect.
(Senate Press Service, 74-72-27. Photo by: Е. Ukibayev)
