Gobierno de Reconciliación y Unidad Nacional
Unida Nicaragua Triunfa
STATEMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT OF NICARAGUA AT THE EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF THE OAS
ON THE OCASSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
The Government of Reconciliation and National Unity of the Republic of Nicaragua, respectful of Human Rights for All Nicaraguans, has ensured and facilitated the inclusive integration of people with disabilities in the process of rights restitution, by promoting, protecting and guaranteeing the recognition and full enjoyment of human rights regarding disability, stipulated in the Political Constitution, legal framework and international instruments ratified by Nicaragua.
In this regard, Nicaragua has an inclusive legal framework, in accordance with the provisions provided by the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. Within this framework, there is a Cabinet composed by People with Special Needs, represented by federations and associations that bring together people with different types of disabilities, regardless of their origin and cause. With their participation and protagonism, the main actions for the implementation of the Convention and Law No. 763, “Law for the Rights of People with Disabilities”, are developed.
The “Everyone with Voice” Program was designed to guarantee accompaniment to people with special needs and their families, to promote strategies that will help improve care and timely response to critical cases of disability. In 2019, 148,091 people with disabilities nationwide were integrated into the program, 51% of them being men and 49% women.
In Nicaragua, disabilities arise from different causes. The three most important segment in which new cases were detected within the population was disabilities during the postnatal stage 85%, the prenatal stage 2%, the perinatal stage and non-origin determined 1%, which is why the State of Nicaragua through the Ministry of Health has created and strengthened health promotion and disease prevention programs in the maternal and child care areas, improving the conditions of prenatal control, delivery care and post-partum; all of which contributes to the reduction of obstetric complications and the reduction of disabilities of prenatal and perinatal origin.
91 Centers for People with Special Needs have been built, where health promotion and disease prevention activities aimed at people with disabilities are carried out, including physiotherapy and rehabilitation centers at the municipal, departmental and national reference levels, workshops for the manufacture of orthopedic and prostheses, hearing clinics and specialized ophthalmology centers. To date, 55,000 auxiliary aid tools and equipment have been delivered to public centers.
For blind people, Operation Miracle was established. 279,199 surgeries have been carried out between 2007-2018 for people who recovered their vision and the National Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Sight Impaired “Comandante Carlos Fonseca” was built where more than 900 people have been provided with eye prostheses since 2017. The Health System now has 8 audiology centers which have performed 9,000 audiometry and tympanometry procedures; and more than 5,000 hearing aids have been delivered to the same number of protagonists.
The Ministry of Labor carries out inspections of public and private labor centers in order to verify fair working conditions and ensure that there is at least 2% of human resources with disabilities on the payroll, in compliance with Law 763 Law for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
In addition, Training Courses for people with disabilities are developed and the “Nicaragua Fuerza Bendita” Program is implemented, which has more than 800 people with disabilities who have developed their businesses. The Ministry of Education has an enrollment of 14,000 people with disabilities included in the special and regular education modalities, municipal integrated classrooms, in addition to the Center for Educational Resources for the Blind (CRECI) and the Educational Resource Center to attend to diversity carries out training in Sign Language for 1,000 teachers (MINED).
Certification of 95 new empirical instructors with sensory disabilities have been carried out in the specialties of Nicaraguan Sign Language and Interpreters, Visual Guides, Orientation, Mobility and Braille System.
People with disabilities have been elected in public positions in the responsibilities of Regular Congressmen and Women (5) and their Alternates (4); mayors and vice mayors (22); Councilors (226).
The Marrakesh Treaty has been approved, which is a tool that facilitates access for people with disabilities who have difficulty accessing written media to published works and thus access to printed text.
From this model of inclusion and dignification with restitution of Human Rights for all Nicaraguans, we continue to advance in Equality, equity and Social Justice for people with disabilities.