| Materials : Country/Review Paper
COUNTRY PAPER: BHUTAN
Regional Workshop:
Monitoring the Implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework for
Action towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free and Right-based Society for
Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific
13-15 October 2004, Bangkok, Thailand
Prepared by:
Dorji Phub
Program Officer
National Disability Prevention & Rehabilitation (DPR), Occupational
Health (OH) & Life Style Related Disorders (LSRD) programme
National Focal Point on Disability, Injury Prevention & Elderly
Public Health Department
Ministry of Bhutan
Introduction
Bhutan is a land locked country, located in the eastern Himalayas between
China and India, comprising a land area of 38,000 square kilometres. With an
estimated official population of 734,340 in 2003, the population density of
Bhutan is among the lowest in Asia.
National Policy on Disability
In less than four decades of development, Bhutan has made remarkable
progress in every aspect. Right from the start, development has been
people-centered and welfare-based. Balanced and equitable development,
people’s participation and preservation of our cultural traditions have been
the bedrocks of Bhutan’s modernization process.
But above all, Gross National Happiness (GNH), a philosophy that attempts
to put people’s welfare and happiness first, as opposed to Gross National
Product (GNP), has been the guiding principle of Bhutan’s development.
The guiding philosophy of Bhutan’s development is the unique concept of
maximizing Gross National Happiness (GNH), envisioned by His Majesty the
King. GNH suggests that happiness is the ultimate objective of development,
where development is viewed as a continuous process towards achieving a
sustainable balance between the material and emotional, spiritual, and
cultural needs of the people. It states that the disabled persons shall
enjoy equal rights with other citizens in political, economic, cultural,
social fields, in family life and other aspects. The Royal Government of
Bhutan provides social services free of cost to the people, including
Persons with Disabilities. The policy includes formation of National
Coordination Committees (NCCDs) at all levels. This focuses on the multi-sectoral
approach in addressing the needs of people with disabilities.
Bhutan is a signatory to the proclamation of the Forty Ninth Session
(April 1993), of the ESCAP Commission on Disability, on the full
participation and equality of people with disabilities. Bhutan has
further reaffirmed the commitment to the proclamation of Biwako Millennium
Decade (2003 – 2012) for Persons with Disabilities.
Royal Government of Bhutan has accorded highest priority for disability
in the 8th five-year plan. The cabinet issued executive orders to
all relevant ministries to incorporate disability related programmes into
their development plans for economic and social development through budget
allocation, overall planning and coordination.
Surveys carried out in the pilot CBR Programme in Eastern Bhutan have
estimated that there are about 21,000 persons with disabilities in the
country, amounting to 3.5% of the total population of about 600,000. These
figures are only suggestive and are not definitive. A more detailed survey
of the whole country to correctly assess the extent and degree of
disabilities and their causes is scheduled next year.
1. Review of achievements and
shortcomings in the implementation of the BMF at the inception of the Asian
& Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (2002-2012) in Bhutan
i. Achievements
- Self-help Organizations of persons with disabilities & related family
and parent associations:
- Draktsho Vocational Training
for the Disabled;
- Parent Support Groups;
- Village Rehabilitation
Committees.
- Women with Disabilities
In Bhutan, women enjoy
equal rights. There is no discrimination between men & women. In order to
support women, National Women’s Association of Bhutan (NWAB) was established
sometime in 1980s. Moreover, in order to ensure anti-discrimination
measures, steps have also been taken towards the implementation of the
convention of Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention of the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
- Early detection, early intervention &
education
Early detection & intervention
The Royal Government of Bhutan continues to put great emphasis in the
health sector, considering its overriding role for the people. Bhutan is
signatory to the Alma Ata Declaration and has chosen Primary Health Care (PHC)
as the core strategy, since the PHC delivery system is deemed effective in
reaching health services in a country like Bhutan, which has a rugged
geographical situation and scattered population. The last component of
PHC, rehabilitation has received highest priority from the 8th
Five Year Plan. Since then, National Community Based Rehabilitation & Mental
Health Programme has been established.
One of the major objectives for the current 9th Five Year Plan
is to develop or strengthen response to the needs of special groups
including the disabled, the elderly, and the emotionally disturbed and
mentally ill. This is also outlined in the strategy document for Bhutan
“Vision 2020”.
- National Disability
Prevention & Rehabilitation (DPR),
Occupational Health (OH) & Life Style Related Disorders (LSRD) programme
strengthened;
- Community Based
Rehabilitation (CBR) as the main strategy with major objective to ensure
that PWDs are able to maximize their physical & mental abilities, have
access to regular services and opportunities and achieve full social
integration within their communities and their societies;
- In Bhutan, as a broad
concept, CBR is recognized as a comprehensive approach, which encompasses
disability prevention and rehabilitation in primary health care activities,
integration of disabled children in ordinary schools where possible,
provision of opportunities for gainful activities for disabled adults and
provision of assistive devices;
- Expanded Programme on
Immunisation (EPI) plus to sustain EPI coverage for all 6 antigens for all
children under1 year of age;
- Integrated Early Childhood
Care for Development & Management of Childhood Illnesses strategy developed
to promote good care practices for the early years by integrating ECCD to
Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI);
- School-based Water,
Sanitation & Hygiene Promotion Project is to ensure that 75% of schools have
well-maintained and adequate water supply and sanitation;
- Family-based Child
Development project initiated to promote the child as a center of focus in
the development of the community;
- No polio cases since 1986;
and
- Leprosy and iodine deficiency
disorder eliminated.
Education
The Royal Government of Bhutan guarantees the right of disabled persons
to education. The Government at all levels to ensure education of disabled
persons integrated in their overall planning.
Progress has also occurred
with respect to achievement of the Dakar Framework for Action goal of
eliminating gender disparities in primary & secondary education. Steps have
also been taken towards the implementation of the convention of Rights of
the Child (CRC). Many significant achievements were made:
- Special Education unit in the
Education Ministry has been established.
- A significant step towards
the integration of special education for the disabled children into
mainstream education.
- Establishment of a special
education resource unit at Changangkha Lower Secondary School under the
personal initiative of Her Majesty the Queen Ashi Tshering Pem Wangchuk, the
president of the Youth Development Fund. The school will cater to the
educational needs of children with mild to moderate sensory, intellectual
and physical impairments.
- A program to provide
education to deaf children is also being initiated with facilities built at Drukgyel Lower Secondary School.
- Development and documentation
of Bhutanese sign language is underway.
- Incorporation of Curriculum
of special education in the pre-service Institutes.
- Braille production unit has
also been established
- School screening
- A National Policy on Early
Childhood Care & Development (ECCD) has been formulated and integrated into
the current 9th Five Year Plan and the Vision document for 2020.
An ECCD section within the Ministry of Education has also been created
- A school for the visually
impaired is in existence since 1972.
- Training & Employment, including self-employment
With thousands of Bhutanese entering the job market, the Royal Government
faces an employment dilemma like never before. The problem is in fact a
little tricky: on the one hand there is no dearth of jobs but, on the other,
we do not have people with required skills to take up these jobs. Overcoming
this “mismatch” has, therefore, become a serious development challenge.
The Government, therefore, established a new ministry starting in 2003 to
grapple with these daunting challenges.
The Ministry of Labour & Human Resources is reviewing the draft labour
administration. The policy states that the private enterprise and government
ministries, departments and agencies to employ disabled persons not under
“Quota” arrangements which is done in many countries. Instead, it is
proposed to rely on the Bhutanese core values of unity and harmony to
encourage the employment of disabled persons through education, awareness
raising, persuasions and negotiation.
- PWDs have equal rights for
employment
- A labour Act, which will
govern conditions of employment and improve employment and working
conditions, has also been drafted.
- The National Institute of
Education has facilities for students with visually
impaired and mild to moderate disabilities.
- Several measures have been
taken to design skills training programmes that respond to the demand in the
market
- The Bhutan Vocational
Qualification Authority (BVQA) has been established under the Ministry of Labour & Human
Resources to ensure quality of skills in training.
- Access to built environments and public transport
To begin with, all hospital buildings are made accessible for persons
with disabilities. Some of the schools are also made disabled friendly with
modification of the buildings. Steps are also taken to ensure Inclusion of
barrier free designs in all new structures.
However, more needs to be done in the public transport systems.
- Access to information & communications, including information
communication and assistive technologies
- School for the visually
impaired;
- Development of sign language;
- Braille production unit;
- Radios; and
- Celebration of global days –
world disabled day.
- Poverty alleviation through capacity building, social security and
sustainable livelihood programmes
The RGoB is party to a Poverty Reduction Partnership Agreement wherein
the Government has committed itself to the attainment of international
development goals as enunciated in the World Summit for Social Development
declaration in 1995. RGoB has in the past prioritized and addressed a wide
range of poverty concerns broadly through the expansion of social services,
rural development and rural income generation activities. The 9th
Five Year Plan further maintains this trend with an allocation of 24% of the
total development outlay for social sectors. The National Pension and
Provident Fund has provision of pension scheme for PWDs
II. Shortcomings
- Other pressing priorities;
- Financial resources;
- Weak on vocational training for PWDs;
- Less coverage of Education facilities to
children with disabilities;
- Low priority on inclusion of barrier free
design;
- No accurate data on disability; and
- Less NGOs
2. Your views/plans on the BMF
implementation for the rest of the Decade, especially with regard to:
- Indicators for monitoring the implementation progress:
While monitoring, the seven priority areas in the BMF need to be kept in
mind. The following indicators needs to be monitored in the implementation
process:
- Number of Self Help Organisations (SHOs) established;
- Number of SHOs fully
functional;
- Number of national SHO that
have representation of women of disabilities in their planning programmes;
- Number of countries that have
ratified CEDAW;
- Number of people with
disabilities – cause, types;
- Number of special education
units – number of teachers concerning training of children with
disabilities;
- Legislation concerning rights
of persons with disabilities;
- Provision of opportunities
for higher education, vocational training, employment, rehabilitation &
inclusion of barrier free designs; and
- Awareness of general public
attitude towards persons with disabilities.
- Institutional mechanisms for monitoring the
implementation (e.g., National Focal Point on Disability, National
Coordination Council on Disability, National Statistical Office):
In Bhutan, the national focal point is the Ministry of Health. Ministry
of Health is responsible for:
- Ensuring implementation of
the activities;
- Reviewing and coordinating
disability-related programmes of concerned agencies;
- Monitoring & evaluating
disability-related programmes.
The existing National Coordination Council on Disability (NCCD) needs
further strengthening. More NCCD needs to be formed at different levels so
that appropriate information can be obtained. The following mechanism needs
to be instituted:
- Periodic reporting,
supervisory visits and meetings to keep track of the activities;
- Annual summaries of
activities needs to be reported to the NCCD; and
- Establishment of regular
information and feedback mechanism between all levels of implementing and
coordinating bodies needs to be instituted.
- Capacity building and technical cooperation
(e.g., disability assessment, disability budgeting, project assessment from
disability perspective)
- Political commitment of the
Government must be ensured;
- Adequate budget allocation to
implement the planned activities;
- People responsible for BMF
implementation needs to be sensitized on the disability issues & targets of
BMF; and
- There is still a need to
strengthen regional cooperation in technical
and other resources.
- A rights-based comprehensive national policy
- Inclusion of appropriate laws
& legislation protecting the rights of PWDs in the current Drafting of
Constitution must be ensured;
- More NGOs needs to be
established.
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