Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Iran

The 28th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council has reached its midpoint; a session that began on March 11 in Geneva, Switzerland, has provided a platform for discussions and several meetings addressing human rights issues in Iran from various perspectives. "Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Iran" was the title of one of these side meetings held by the Austrian organization Sudwind, a UN advisory body, on March 19 at the UN headquarters, resulting in the reading of a statement in the main hall of the UN in the presence of government representatives. In the statement read by Mehri Jafari, a human rights activist and lawyer based in the UK, several instances were mentioned that indicate Iran's non-compliance with its international commitments, which arose with the signing of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The statement highlights that in a country like Iran, all construction of public spaces is still done without consideration for the needs of persons with disabilities, resulting in these individuals being unable to equally benefit from public spaces and facilities. Sudwind's statement emphasizes that such an approach in constructing public spaces constitutes discrimination against persons with disabilities, leading to their invisibility and inability to enjoy their full citizenship rights, as well as the possibility of independent living and full social participation. According to this statement, residential buildings in Iran continue to be constructed without regard for the needs of persons with disabilities, making it a strenuous and difficult task for these individuals to leave their homes, resulting in many being confined indoors and unable to play any role in social life. The statement also refers to other instances of human rights violations against persons with disabilities in Iran, including the educational system, which suffers from "long-standing and chronic problems and weaknesses" regarding individuals with special needs. Another issue is the employment problem for persons with disabilities in Iran, with Sudwind noting that according to a 2008 study, of the three million persons with disabilities seeking work in Iran, only 600,000 have managed to find jobs. Sudwind's statement ultimately calls on the Iranian government and other governments to eliminate all environmental and educational barriers that hinder persons with disabilities and to provide them with the opportunity for independent living and social participation. What the Sudwind statement outlines is a brief summary of what transpired at the side meeting "Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Iran." This meeting featured the presence of Ehsan Abedi, a journalist and writer; Farid Ansari, founder of the Association for the Support of Iranians with Disabilities in the UK; Mehri Jafari, a human rights activist; and Laleh Khaneh Baz, a Baha'i citizen with disabilities, while Samaneh Nikmanesh also contributed a voice message detailing the difficulties faced by a blind individual in Iran. Iran's commitment to implementing the integration plan for students with special needs was the subject of Ehsan Abedi's remarks. According to this plan, which has been implemented in many Western countries for several decades, students with special needs are educated in regular schools alongside other students as much as possible. This plan considers children with disabilities as part of the regular community rather than as elements to be marginalized and kept away from society. According to Ehsan Abedi, the Iranian government has reported that this plan is being implemented; however, the testimonies of parents of students with special needs indicate that this plan is very limited and executed in a completely inadequate manner, so much so that it continues to operate on the same old principles, with regular schools still refusing to accept students with special needs. The journalist's report also points to other forms of discrimination against children with special needs, including the prevalence of the label "uneducable" being applied to some of these children, which results in their exclusion from education in any school. The issue of employment for persons with disabilities and the transportation problem was also addressed in Farid Ansari's report, which discusses "unemployment and barriers to employment for persons with disabilities in Iran." This report states that "according to the Law on the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, three percent of public and private sector hiring should be allocated to persons with disabilities. However, unemployment is one of the main problems faced by persons with disabilities, especially women, in Iran." According to Mr. Ansari, "based on 2008 statistics, of the three million eligible persons with disabilities, only 600,000 are employed in some capacity. This means the majority of persons with disabilities in Iran are unemployed and in distress. In Iran, those without jobs are not covered by social security insurance." The report continues to explore the reasons for unemployment among persons with disabilities in Iran, including the lack of sufficient budget allocation for the implementation of laws related to persons with disabilities, the severe financial constraints many of these individuals face that hinder their education, and the public sector's failure to allocate the required three percent of hiring to persons with disabilities, along with the transportation issues faced by persons with disabilities, which stem from the lack of consideration for their needs during the construction of public spaces and buildings, a topic that Mehri Jafari dedicated her speech to. Ms. Jafari referenced the comprehensive law for the protection of persons with disabilities in Iran, which mandates all governmental and public institutions to adapt facilities and pathways considering the needs of persons with disabilities. However, she states that the Welfare Organization, which is authorized to oversee the implementation of this law, lacks any supervisory tools and is unable to defend the rights of persons with disabilities. This is while the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities emphasizes the necessity for them to enjoy "the right to access" and to move freely in public and cultural spaces. The continuation of this meeting involved sharing personal experiences from Laleh Khaneh Baz and Samaneh Nikmanesh. Ms. Khaneh Baz, an activist from the Baha'i community, was a teacher for Baha'i children in Iran. She stated that due to her religious beliefs and her activities for the Baha'i community, she has been targeted by the Iranian government's violence, and as a result of this violence, she has suffered physical disabilities. Ms. Khaneh Baz explained that in addition to the pressures she faces as a Baha'i in Iran, she also encounters numerous challenges due to her leg disability, including difficulties in finding employment, as employers have refused to hire her solely for this reason. Finally, Samaneh Nikmanesh, a communications graduate, spoke about the struggles faced by a visually impaired individual in continuing education in Iran, stating that regular schools do not provide any educational facilities for these individuals, and she, having gradually lost her vision, managed to complete her education primarily through listening without any assistance or learning Braille, the special script for the blind. The meeting concluded with a documentary by Shahryar Siyami about Afshin Noghani, an Iranian artist residing in the UK. Mr. Noghani has a mobility disability, but this has not hindered his creative work. Shahryar Siyami's documentary about this painter is titled "Out of Focus."