Parliamentary Committee on Social Welfare says action should be taken reduce challenges persons with disabilities are facing in Malawi.
The committee’s Chairperson Richard Chimwendo Banda said this on Wednesday when he presented a report on the challenges that people with disabilities face.
The report highlighted challenges such as lack of school materials, funds and access to medical services.
Banda said people with disabilities are forced to write exams although they have a problem of inadequate of braille.
Banda added that there is a legal instrument which is not respected and people with disabilities continue to suffer silently.
“The ministry of children, disability social welfare was supposed to be funded to assist people with disabilities, there is a law, Disability Act which introduced a disability fund where each and every public institution is supposed to contribute something but little has been done,” he explained.
On the issue of inclusion, he explained that people with disabilities struggle to get employment which is demotivating young people to work hard on their studies.
He also pointed out the issue of building disability friendly infrastructures as something that needs to be considered.
Banda went to on say that a lot has been said but little action has been done despite the fact that every Member of Parliament is fully aware of the problems.
He then called on stakeholders to take action.
