PSD denies use of force; activists accuse gov't, HCD of failing to enforce law
AMMAN -- Gendarmerie forces intervened on Saturday in a protest outside the Royal Court by people with visual disabilities, which ended when the demonstrators were promised a meeting with Royal Court Chief Riyad Abu Karaki this week, activists said.
Some 400 protesters, including people with disabilities (PWD), their families and supporters, rallied outside the Royal Court for several hours on Saturday, demanding the implementation of the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which they say has been "disabled" since it was enacted in 2007.
The coordinating committee for people with visual disabilities had called on their supporters in the Kingdom's governorates to participate in the sit-in to call for enforcing the law, which stipulates providing PWD with health insurance and employment opportunities.
During the protest, Gendarmerie forces prevented the demonstrators from reaching the main gate of the court, according to activists.
"We were violently pushed back by the Gendarmerie forces and some of us were subjected to ill-treatment," said Mohammad Rawashdeh, a member of the coordinating committee.
"I wonder how a bunch of people with disabilities, most of them with visual impairments, would pose a security threat to the country," he remarked.
Public Security Department (PSD) Spokesperson Lt. Col. Mohammad Khatib denied claims that the police had dealt violently with protesters, stressing that the security personnel had taken their "health conditions" into account.
"The demonstrators attempted to enter inside the Royal Court, bypassing the security checkpoint, before being allowed to delegate a group of people to meet officials from the court," Khatib told The Jordan Times.
However, Rabea Majali, spokesperson of the committee, said the police's claim was "illogical".
"The protesters were not armed or promoting agendas that might threaten national security, to be pushed back this way... the presence of Gendarmerie forces at a PWD protest is uncivilised by all means," she declared.
Majali added that a group of representatives had been delegated to go inside the Royal Court and set up a meeting with Abu Karaki.
Rawashdeh, who suffers from a visual impairment, said he wondered why the government has been silent over the "dysfunctionality" of the disabilities law.
"There is a contradiction between law and practice. The ratio of PWD working in the public and private sectors in Jordan is very low and their rights are neglected," added Rawashdeh, who holds a master's degree in law.
The Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities stipulates that public and private sector institutions and companies employing no fewer than 25 workers and no more than 50 should employ one person with a disability.
If the number of workers in any of these establishments exceeds 50, PWD should account for no less than 4 per cent of the workforce, provided that the nature of the work allows this provision.
The committee also demanded that PWD be exempted from customs duties and granted health insurance, and that the financial support provided by the Higher Council for the Affairs of People with Disabilities (HCD) be "fairly" distributed to societies working with PWD.
Meanwhile, the HCD issued a statement on Saturday saying it had referred a draft law for a customs exemption system to the Prime Ministry.
In addition, the HCD said it had cooperated with the labour ministry to establish an administrative unit to employ PWD, noting that more than 291 people were employed through this unit in 2011.
"The law stipulates that all PWD are entitled to free medical insurance and we have addressed the health Ministry, which is responsible for this," the statement said.
The HCD highlighted that societies dealing with PWD are registered with the social development ministry and that the council has nothing to do with financially supporting these entities.
Majali said the HCD statement, which was handed out to protesters during the demonstration, had "alienated" citizens with disabilities.
"The council had the chance to ensure the full implementation of the law for years now, but they haven't done so yet," she alleged.
© Jordan Times 2012
