Civic Initiative for Protection of Right of Disabled Persons

The disabled persons start initiatiative with the Parliament

Krusevo and Prilep will be the starting point of the caravan that will travel throughout Macedonia, with the intent to collect 10,000 signatures for the petition to adopt a Law on Protection of Rights and Dignity of Disabled Persons. The initiative was started by Polio Plus, in cooperation with 23 other associations of persons with special needs.

Last week, the Legislative Committee of the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia decided that the initiative is legal and that it can start collecting the signatures. This is the first civic initiative started by the disabled persons themselves, with the goal to promote a law to regulate the rights and obligations of the state towards the disabled persons.

�We expect that the Ministry of Justice will open about 200 local offices for collection of signatures by mid-October. We would like to establish collection points in hospitals and social care centres, placed often frequented by the disabled persons... Our initiative is not just for the disabled. To the contrary, we hope to get the support by all citizens of Macedonia�, says Zvonko Savreski, President of Polio Plus.

The plan is to present the lists with 10,000 signatures to the Speaker of the Parliament on December 3, the International Day of the Disabled Persons, thus marking the entry into Parliamentary procedure of the draft-Law. According to expectations, the Law should be adopted by May 2006.