A group of advocates as part of the activities of a microproject as part of the GERIS project funded by the European Union and implemented by Particip through Apolmida Haruna Tsammani (Haly Hope Foundation) and Zubairu Babajide Atta (Media Advocates for Peace) have called on Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to promote disability inclusion in all activities of Christians in Nigeria.
The group made this call when they paid an advocacy visit to the CAN President, Most Rev Daniel Okoh recently in Abuja.
Apolmida Haruna Tsammani in her speech said that the essence of the project is to bring to the frontburner issues affecting women and girls with disabilities especially Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights. She informed that government in 2018 formulated National Policy on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights of Persons with disabilities with emphasis on women and girls which if it is fully implemented, it will assure the rights of women with disabilities to health care services among others.
She pointed out the religious organization like CAN is key towards advocating for the implementation of this policy and other policies and laws meant to guarantee better living for persons with disabilities especially women with disabilities.
She urged CAN use the churches to promote the rights of persons with disabilities, she pointed out also lack of accessibility features in most churches across which has been affecting the spiritually wellbeing of many Christians with disabilities. Many of them don’t come to Church because they can’t have access to the church building.
She informed that churches are part of public buildings so, the five years’ transitory period to ensure modification of existing public building to have all accessibility features as enshrined in the Discrimination against Persons with disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 is also applicable to the Churches, it is pertinent the Churches do the needful to avoid litigations.
She also said that the visit is to seek partnership with CAN in promoting the rights of women and girls with disabilities.
Agbo Christian Obiora, the Executive Director, The Qualitative Magazine who is a member of the advocacy team in his remark said that the churches have a lot of role to play in the implementation of the all disability related policies and laws because most members of the churches are the officials in government establishment. The church can get them to implement these policies and laws when the churches introduce the conversation.
He emphasized on the issue of access to church buildings and he also made case for Christians with deafness or hard of hearing who may have stopped going to church because they can’t hear the sermon.
He urged CAN to introduce sign language interpretation in all churches especially during sermon.
He proposed that they can go in partnership with ASLIN and other groups to train church members who are interested and they will subsequently provide the interpretation in the various churches.
He also proposed that the bible should be on braille so that the blind who are christians can read on their own.
Speaking further, he pointed out that the churches approach to the disability issues has been from the charity angle and he advised that the churches should adopt the right based approach in order to promote disability inclusion.
The President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Most Rev. Daniel Okoh in his speech made commitment that CAN will partner with the group to promote the rights of persons with disabilities.
“To spread message on the Care of Persons with disabilities across the churches is what we are going to do because it is within our mandate”.
He also promised to work with the group to see that there would be braille version of the Holy Braille and also ensure that sign language interpretation is introduced in our churches.
On issue of access to the physical structure, he promised that the churches will comply to the laws and said that it will start with his office, he is going to provide ramps before the next visit of the team.
