Egypt's 7 years of achievements in social protection for people with disabilities

CAIRO - 28 July 2020: Egypt witnessed an unprecedented boom during the past seven years in the field of rehabilitation of persons with disabilities, as President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was keen to ensure the rights of this group of citizens, in education, health, job opportunities, and pension.

Below Egypt Today reviews the social solidarity sector's most important efforts in this field, according to a report issued by the State Information Service.

The first batch of the "integrated services card", which amounts to 500,000 cards, was issued to the  citizens, who have already performed an automated functional medical examination that proves their disability and determines its type and degree.

Establishing a charitable investment fund called "Ataa Fund to Support the Disabled" with a capital of LE 1 billion.

Providing comprehensive training and rehabilitation centers, prosthetic devices, and equipped motorcycles. 

Establishing a hotline "15044" to receive grievances and complaints from persons with disabilities. Launching the unified indicative dictionary for those with hearing impairment.

Establishing a unit for the employment of persons with disabilities and allocating 5% of the subsidized social housing units for them.Making the latest rehabilitation rooms available for children with autism.

These rooms have recently joined the Autism Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in the Disability Complex in Ain Shams.

The issuance of Law No. (11) of 2019 forming the National Council for Persons with Disabilities.Issuance of Law No. (10) of 2018 regarding the rights of persons with disabilities.

Launching the "Path of Light"     project with the aim of activating an integrated system for examining, evaluating, and rehabilitating children with special visual needs.

Rehabilitation and protection of persons with disabilities, through services, such as physiotherapy, and speech training, in addition to providing many grants for blind students. 

Opening a restaurant with a cadre of deaf and hard-of-hearing youth, within the framework of a signed protocol to train young people with disabilities and provide them with job opportunities, in order to activate the "New Life" initiative to employ the deaf and hard of hearing.

Article 81 of Egypt's 2014 constitution states: "The State shall guarantee the health, economic, social, cultural, entertainment, sporting and educational rights of persons with disabilities; shall provide them with job opportunities;shall allocate a percentage of job opportunities to them, and shall adapt public facilities and their surrounding environment to their special needs. The State shall also ensure their exercise of all political rights and integration with other citizens in compliance with the principles of equality, justice, and equal opportunities."

Furthermore, seven other articles in the 2014 constitution, directly and indirectly, address persons with disabilities, protecting their rights to equal health care, employment, education, political participation, and social inclusion.

Sisi issued law no. 10 for 2018 on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on February 20, after being approved by the Parliament.

The new law imposes many commitments on the government towards persons with disabilities, including ensuring non-discrimination due to disability, or gender of the person with disability; ensuring real equality in all human rights and fundamental freedoms; ensuring respect of their choices and how they express them, and ensuring their right to obtain information that concerns them from all sectors.

According to the Egyptian Ministry of International Cooperation's 2016 National Review report for sustainable development goals:

In 2015, the “Karama” (Dignity) program was launched, providing unconditional financial support programs for those who are underprivileged, namely the elderly and those who are fully disabled. The main aim of the programs is to eliminate absolute poverty and cover the basic needs of the elderly and people with disabilities.

The Ministry of Housing is allocating 5 percent of the national project on public housing to PwDs and initiatives are underway to establish four accessible sites near Qena, Ismailia, Alexandria and Cairo.

The Egypt Information and Communication Technology Trust Fund (ICT-TF), jointly established by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the UNDP, has several IT training and educational programs targeting people with disabilities in about 112 slum areas in Cairo.

Many service projects have been established in Upper Egypt's governorates in cooperation with Terre des Homme, to advocate for the rights of PwDs, and enhance their talents and skills to enable them to operate and manage small projects for hand crafts. Also, the Federation of Egyptian Industries’ initiative “Equal for a better living” aims at providing 1,000 employment opportunities in the private sector for persons with disabilities.

Additionally, a number of cell blocks have been allocated for prisoners with disabilities in three prisons, including Wadi Al-Natron in Beheira Governorate, north of Cairo; and Borg al-Arab in Alexandria. Some other 42 prisons in Upper Egypt are being equipped with the special cell block. A total of 100 prisoners with disabilities have already been transferred to the special devised cellblocks, according to the Ministry of Interior.

Since President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi  declared 2018 as the year of those challenged with a disability, numerous measures and decisions have been taken to assure them proper living conditions.

People with disabilities in Egypt are estimated at about 11 to 14 million, according to the State Information Service [SIS], as disabilities in Egypt include visual, hearing, and mobility impairment, as well as mental disability.