ECONOMYNEXT – Two parliamentary groups have called for sensitivity training for staff at public spaces after a woman with disabilities was harassed at a government office, adding that the Government is obliged to ensure persons with disabilities have comfortable access to all public buildings.

“We strongly condemn the incident that took place on 5th April 2024 at the Sethsiripaya where a woman with disabilities was obstructed from utilising her transportation services to leave the premises,” the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus (WPC) and the Parliamentary Caucus for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PCIPD) said in a joint statement.

“It has been brought to our notice that the language used by the relevant Security Officers has been highly insensitive, disrespectful and hurtful.”

The two groups strongly urged “that the staff of Sethsiripaya (and other public spaces) be appropriately sensitised and informed about the rights of persons with disabilities.”

“Ironically, the aforementioned incident occurred while she was an invited speaker in a workshop aimed at raising awareness about the inclusion of persons with disabilities, which was organised by the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs.”

Joint Statement by the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus (WPC) and the Parliamentary Caucus for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PCIPD)

As the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus (WPC) and the Parliamentary Caucus for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PCIPD), we strongly condemn the incident that took place on 5th April 2024 at the Sethsiripaya where a woman with disabilities was obstructed from utilising her transportation services to leave the premises and was informed that vehicle access was exclusively reserved for VIPs.

It has been brought to our notice that the language used by the relevant Security Officers has been highly insensitive, disrespectful and hurtful.

Ironically, the aforementioned incident occurred while she was an invited speaker in a workshop aimed at raising awareness about the inclusion of persons with disabilities, which was organised by the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs.

Persons with disabilities makeup 9% of Sri Lanka’s population and often face discrimination and harassment in various spheres when they access different services, carry out their activities of daily living, and participate in their communities.

Persons with disabilities also often experience difficulties due to the lack of necessary infrastructure and necessary provisions such as sign language interpretation, disability-friendly educational and employment facilities, and accessible transport.

Sri Lanka ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2016, undertaking the responsibility to “promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities (people living with disabilities), and to promote respect for their inherent dignity”.

The Sri Lankan Constitution also guarantees the right to equal access to shops, public restaurants, hotels, places of public entertainment and places of public worship of his own religion, regardless of race, religion, language, caste, sex or disability (Article 12 (3)).

Therefore, the Government of Sri Lanka is obliged to ensure that persons with disabilities have comfortable access to all public buildings.

Moreover, the Constitution further states that special provisions can be made by law, subordinate legislation or executive action, for the advancement of women, children or disabled persons (Article 12 (4)).

As such, Sri Lanka must uphold her promises for the advancement of the welfare of persons with disabilities, and strive to ensure that their rights are protected.

This incident highlights the intersectionality of discrimination and obstacles encountered by persons due to multiple identities. The individual concerned here is a woman with a disability rendering her particularly vulnerable to daily challenges.

Therefore, it is incumbent upon the Government to factor in all these circumstances and strive to alleviate some of their burdens.The National Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities, the Passport Office and many more Government services are regularly accessed by persons with disabilities.

Since the security services to the Government offices in Battaramulla are the primary responsibility of the Urban Development Authority (UDA), we also urge the UDA to take necessary action to, inter alia, sensitise and educate the Security Officers on inclusive treatment and the use of inclusive language when dealing with women and persons with disabilities.

It is our responsibility as Sri Lankan citizens to ensure incidents like this do not occur in the future.As the WPC and the PCIPD, we strongly urge that the staff of Sethsiripaya (and other public spaces) be appropriately sensitised and informed about the rights of persons with disabilities.

Moreover, we particularly urge Government officers to be aware and informed of the needs of persons with disabilities and to anticipate and make necessary provisions when conducting any future programs.