PNG, Disability Country Profile
 CONSTITUTION Papua New Guinea became independent in September 1975. HUMAN RIGHTS In 1995, the National Board drafted a Disability Act in conjunction with the National Department of Community Development (formerly the Social Welfare Department). The draft legislation has yet to be considered by Parliament. Parliament has however recently passed comprehensive legislation in relation to HIV/Aids, and this legislation contains anti-discrimination provisions. This legislation is being considered as a model by at least one other Pacific country, particularly in relation to its anti-discrimination provisions. SIGNATORY TO THE UNESCAP PROCLAMATION ON THE FULL This document was signed in 2003 by Hon. Dame Carol Kidu DBE MP, Minister for Community Development. FOCAL POINT ON DISABILITY WITHIN GOVERNMENT Department of Community Development – Disability & Elderly Unit. Department of Education – Inclusion of people with special educational needs in the mainstream schools at all levels of education. DISABILITY SPECIFIC LEGISLATION There is no Legislation as yet. The Draft instruction compiled by the Department of Community Development is still with the Department of Attorney General. NATIONAL COORDINATION COMMITTEE OR NATIONAL DISABILITY COUNCIL It’s the National Board for Disabled Persons. NATIONAL DISABILITY POLICY This was drafted in 2005 by the Department of Community Development. NATIONAL DISABILITY ACTION-PLAN Department for Community Development had already developed an action plan together with the Policy. DISABILITY STATISTICS AND DATA COLLECTION The National Census is held every 10 years. The next one will be in 2010. A pilot survey was completed in 2005 by the Melanesian Research Institute in conjunction with the National Board for Disabled Persons and the National Department of Community Development. The report is yet to be completed. SELF-HELP ORGANIZATIONS There is the Papua New Guinea National Board for Disabled Persons, which has 17 affiliated agencies. The agencies operate on the Community Based Rehabilitation model. A national disabled persons association was formed in 2002. it is the National Assembly of People with Disabilities – Papua New Guinea (NAPD-PNG). WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES A woman from PNG has attended training for women with disabilities in Bangkok in 2002 and in Nadi in 2004. She has formed an association and developed a project to strengthen WWD in her province of PNG EARLY DETECTION, EARLY INTERVENTION AND EDUCATION An integrated education system has been adopted. TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT Papua New Guinea has a Workers Compensation scheme for employees injured at work. Chapter 179. Laws and regulations are not enforced and PWD have extreme difficulty being trained and employed. ACCESS TO BUILT ENVIRONMENTS AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT Building Codes exist but are not fully implemented. POVERTY ALLEVIATION The Child Welfare Act Chapter 276. Sections 13,14, 15, provide an allowance for widow, wife, deserted wife, divorcee, single woman or father incapacitated through mental or bodily infirmity, to care for destitute children up to 16. Section 21 et seq provides for establishment of homes for mentally defective children "whose cases call for segregation and special treatment". Mental deficiency is defined as a condition of arrested or incomplete development or degeneration of mind from whatsoever cause arising". CRIMINAL LAW OFFENCES Legal Aid. Criminal Code. There is a presumption of soundness of mind. There cannot be criminal responsibility if at the time of the offence, the person was in such a state of mental disease or natural mental infirmity as to deprive him of the capacity to understand what he is doing or control his actions or to know that he ought not to do the act or make the omission.” There is an offence if a person, knowing a woman or girl to be an idiot or imbecile has or attempts to have unlawful carnal knowledge of her. There is a duty to provide the necessaries of life to a person who is unable by reason of age sickness, or unsoundness of mind to provide for themselves. The Office of the Public Solicitor was established in 1975. Other law. The only material available was a volume of selected laws to 2000. The balance of the laws is at present being converted to a database, which was not available. Return to Disability Country Profiles homepage | Disability homepage | Top of Page |
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