There are an estimated 16 million people with disabilities in Bangladesh, or 10% of the country's population.
In 2004, the prevalence of
disability
Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, dev ...
was about 6% among those below the age of 18 and about 14% among those above that age.
People in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
living with disabilities are entitled to
government support, but programs have been limited in scope and restricted to urban areas, and the question of disability has not been integrated into general development programs.
In response, NGOs such as the Centre for Disability in Development have moved to provide assistance to people with disabilities.
Perceptions of disability among most Bangladeshis remain largely negative.
Especially in rural areas, disability is often
viewed as a curse brought on by the misdeeds of parents, and is often believed to be contagious.
Children with and without disabilities seldom become friends, creating a separation which continues in adult life.
Bangladesh is a party to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights treaty of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. Parties to the convention are required to promote, ...
(CRPD), having signed the treaty on 9 May 2007 and ratified it soon after on 30 November 2007.
On 9 October 2013, Bangladesh passed a bill called the Persons with Disabilities' Rights and Protection Act 2013, which implemented its obligations under the CRPD.
This law replaced the Disabled Welfare Act 2001.
See also
*
Deafness in Bangladesh
References
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
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