Every year, the Republic of Serbia records progress in respecting the rights of persons with disabilities, but these advances are insufficient for the assessment that the position of this vulnerable group in the 21st century is satisfactory to be true, the Protector of Citizens, Zoran Pašalić said today on the occasion of 3 December – International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
He pointed out that the individual's right to live in the community and be included in it, as well as his right to equal choice with other members of the community, derives from the most basic standards of human rights.
With new laws and the ratification of international conventions, the state provides a good normative framework for the improvement of the position of persons with disabilities, but there is still a significant violation of their rights, Pašalić pointed out. He stated that the complaints sent to the Protector of Citizens indicate that the biggest problems arise in exercising the right to education, social and health care, employment, but also the lack of special services and support services in the community.
The Protector of Citizens closely monitors the situation of persons with disabilities and I call on citizens to continue to continue contacting us, and the competent authorities, to effectively solve problems and deficiencies in respecting the rights of persons with disabilities as well as all citizens from vulnerable social groups through good intersectoral cooperation, said Zoran Pašalić.