The Disability Discrimination Act Marks the Second Anniversary
The Act on the Prohibition of Discrimination of Disabled Persons, Remedy against Infringement of Their Rights, etc. (Disability Discrimination Act) marked its second anniversary of enforcement on April 11, 2010.
The Disability Discrimination Act was enacted in order to prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in all aspects of life, thus enabling persons with disabilities to enjoy equal rights and fully participate in public life.
The Disability Discrimination Act regulates in a more comprehensive and specific way the disability discrimination that was previously governed by the National Human Rights Commission Act. The remedial process has become more effective as the Ministry of Justice may issue corrective order when the recommendation of the NHRCK is not followed by respondents.
Since the Disability Discrimination Act was enforced, a total of 1,390 cases pertaining to disability discrimination have been filed to the Commission, taking up to 50 percent of the total number of discrimination cases. The number has dramatically increased compared to 14% of the previous years, as expectation was high on the enforcement of the Act. Fifty four percent of the disability discrimination complaints have been remedied, of which 74.2 percent were resolved during the investigation process.
The number of cases related to disability reached 417 in 2009, 225 cases (54.0%) were remedied, 167 cases (74.2%) were resolved through the reconciliation of parties concerned or the respondent’s concession.
The NHRCK hosted public forums in Seoul (April 8), Gwangju on (April 9), Busan (April 14) and Daegu (April 15), celebrating the second anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act. The forums focused on assessing the progress since the enactment of the Act and listened to various suggestions and opinions of persons with disabilities and other stake holders.
On April 27, the Commission conducted a counseling tour to provide human rights counseling to persons with disabilities in Changwon city, Korea. The counseling tour was accompanied by certified counselors, investigators, lawyers and labor attorneys. They informed the disabled of how to access remedial measures when their right to education is violated and listened to difficulties in their daily life. The NHRCK will take reference to the findings from this counseling session for developing d\policy agenda regarding persons with disabilities.
