Pakistani Schoolchildren make History for the Rights of the Disabled

Schoolchildren make govt sign UN Convention

KARACHI, Oct 3: Pakistan has become the 135th country to sign the UN Convention for the Rights of People with Disabili-ties, according to a press release issued by the Children’s Museum for Peace and Human Rights (CMPHR).

It noted that Islamabad signed the UN Convention on Sept 25, 2008, which was a momentous occasion for the children from 55 schools of Karachi who took part in a year-long campaign for the rights of special people and collected more than 75,000 signatures on a petition addressed to the prime minister requesting him to make Pakistan a signatory to the Convention.

With the help of the CMPHR, and the active support of the Al-Umeed Rehabilitation Associa-tion, Ida Rieu, Institute of Behavioural Psychology, J.S. Academy for the Deaf, Karachi Vocational Training Centre, Show Your Care and Special Olympics Pakistan, the children succeeded in running the campaign and forwarding the petition to the prime minister through Nawabzada Khawaja Mohammad Khan Hoti, the minister for social welfare and special education, the CMPHR release said.