Advocacy

Advocacy

advocacy-original

At the fulcrum of Network for the Advancement of People with Visible Disabilities’ pursuits, programmes and activities, is the creation of an egalitarian society that is accessible to and inclusive of people with disability. It is incumbent on government under Nigeria’s constitutional democracy, to formulate and implement policies that will ensure level playing ground for all and guarantee for persons with disabilities, full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others, this accords with the primary preoccupation of government which is the security and welfare of all her citizens.

To attain sustainable social justice for Persons with Disabilities, NAPVID deploys multifaceted advocacy techniques to dismantle all forms of attitudinal, institutional, structural and environmental barriers that tend to exclude Physically Challenged persons from governance and development and from effectively participating in society on an equal basis with others.

Some of NAPVID’s revolutionary advocacy steps to constructively engage all facets of the Nigerian system to establish a regime of parity and prosperity for persons with disabilities, include but not limited to:

Rights Above Charity Initiative

‘RIGHTS ABOVE CHAIRITY; INCLUSIVE NIGERIA FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES CAMPAIGN’, otherwise called ‘RIGHTS ABOVE CHARITY CAMPAIGN’.

This campaign is committing to accelerate public action for inclusive development for Persons with Disabilities in key facets of our National life such as education, healthcare, cultural inclusion, social justice, economic empowerment, political relevance as well as access to public infrastructure and services etc. Under the auspices of ‘RIGHTS ABOVE CHAIRITY; INCLUSIVE NIGERIA FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES CAMPAIGN’, a consortium convened by NAPVID, aimed at forging working partnership with Civil Society Groups and leading organisations of Persons With Disabilities across the nation, is in place to drive inclusiveness in governance and development. The consortium periodically focuses on such contemporary concerns in families, society and government that prevent the acceptance, assimilation or integration of PWDs into the polity, and recommend appropriate reparations for action and attention. This is adopted as a means of mainstreaming disability issues as an integral part of relevant strategies for sustainable development.

r22The rights Above Charity Campaign, regularly organize stimulating lectures, seminars, symposia and other activities that will help the public to put in proper perspective issues of disabilities. for instance, Further to the Rights Above Charity Campaign, NAPVID in 2011, conceptualized and instituted the NAPVID ‘RIGHTS ABOVE CHARITY LECTURE’, to commemorate the December 3rd UN Day for Persons with Disabilities, principally to underscore the civil, social, cultural, economic and political rights of persons with disabilities to cohabit in an egalitarian society anchored on freedom, justice and equality. This is in tune with the UN sustainable development goals and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Between 2011 and today, NAPVID working with eminent jurists, erudite scholars, renowned human rights activists and social crusaders of international standing, has used the annual colloquium to call for the establishment, recognition and enforcement of the legal and constitutional rights of people with disabilities, with a view to narrowing the gap in governance, which is deficiently deployed  towards these class of Nigerians. The demand and submissions of these great minds, no doubt contributed to the passage of the ‘DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES PROHIBITION ACT OF 2018.’

Social Engagement

Spurred by our belief in an egalitarian society with equal rights and prospects and Inspired by our motto; “advancing the rights of the physically challenged”, NAPVID is deploying advocacy as a strategy to penetrate the public (that is the organized and informal sectors) with its doctrine of inclusion, rehabilitation and empowerment for persons with disabilities. this crusading as an approach, constantly take NAPVID to families and communities of Persons with Disabilities to sensitise them and to serve as beacon of hope to these deprived physically challenged persons and their relatives.

Furthermore, NAPVID relentlessly interfaces with all levels and organs of government, multinational organizations, development partners, nongovernmental organizations, institutions and influential individuals to ensure that there is disability content and dimension in the consideration and execution of programmes and policies.

Hitches and Voices

The attaining and sustaining of an egalitarian society for persons with disabilities require intensive and extensive media campaign. Journalism is a profession that has enormous power over the hearts and minds of viewers, listeners and readers. The media -conventional and social – have an enormous and increasing influence on the way people generally view issues. What we see, read and listen to, mixes with our own direct experience to sway the way we approach things.

Poised as an organization of persons with disabilities to make changes to the structures of society and influence the attitudes of people towards PWDs, NAPVID is leveraging on the power of the media (conventional and the social networks) in enlightening the populace on various disability subjects. Radio and television broadcasts of our activities have reached many members of the public and the physically challenged community even in the hinter areas.

Part of the media campaign strategies being deployed by NAPVID to inform and orient society, is the production and airing of sensitization Jingles, use of Public Service Announcement PSA, release of press statements and holding of press conferences. One engaging programme that is resonating with the people across the media networks is OUR WORK ‘Hitches and Voices’.

Hitches and Voices is a weekly public awareness programme on radio that is beamed all over the major social media platform. For too long, the public has held a contemptuous, distorted or prejudiced perception about the character, potential and the evolving capacity of people with disabilities to fully and effectively participate in society. The programme is on to herald a progressive, informed and balanced assessment and opinion of People with Disabilities and their issues. Hitches and Voices has the potential of positively influencing the attitude of the populace to create an egalitarian society for persons with disabilities.

Indeed, the media is an important ally and an indispensable vehicle in our advocacy journey.

Access to Justice

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To address the profound social and legal disadvantage of persons with disabilities and to promote their participation in the civil, political, economic, social and cultural spheres, their unfettered access to justice must be guaranteed. NAPVID therefore work with a Moderate and elastic team of passionate lawyers and also rally relevant State Institutions, Civil Society Groups, Professional Bodies and Development Partners to defend the rights of Persons with Disabilities and aid their access to justice. Where the basic legal or constitutional rights of PWDS are disregarded by government or its agencies, corporate organizations, families or individuals, steps should be taken to redress same. The subject of rights is clearly a legal question and a legally proactive crew is essential to protect the fundamental rights and inherent dignity and worth of members of the physically challenged community.

NAPVID recognize that to expedite access to justice and to engender an all inclusive society and foster progressive, sustainable change and development for Persons with Disabilities, laws must be specifically enacted to safeguard them from the capricious, exploitative or discriminatory tendencies of individuals, organisations or government. In our clime, legal and policy frameworks are often insufficient or inadequate to address the rights and inclusion of PWDs in society and In some cases, existing laws actually perpetuate discrimination or otherwise harm the interests of Nigerians with disabilities.

Consequently, through lobby and advocacy, NAPVID is both solely on her own volition and in collaboration with other Organisation of Persons with Disabilities and interested non-state actors, currently urging the government at all levels To:

(a)       adopt all appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures to exclusively enact a law for the social protection of persons with disabilities and to establish a Commission that will be responsible for their education, healthcare, social, economic and civil rights.

(b)       Take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to modify or abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and practices that constitute discrimination against persons with disabilities.