Last updated:

January 28, 2025

People with disabilities have been forgotten in Iran/ Azad Mohammadi

Laws that are not enforced, facilities that are handed over to the private sector in the city, and budget cuts. The citizenship and human rights of individuals with disabilities are not considered in Iran and it seems that they are caught in the problems of the government, budget shortages, and chaotic privatization. The people of this society have been forgotten.

The accused of this forgetfulness are not just one or two. The 1402 budget, the government has eliminated the budget line for the law supporting the rights of people with disabilities, and the seventh development plan has also, in addition to removing sections supporting people with disabilities, committed an atrocity and made support for this group more conditional with new restrictions. This is while in the second development plan, there was support for people with disabilities and at times, like the fifth plan, this support was even more significant and serious. But in the seventh plan of the government of Ebrahim Raisi, it seems like a return from all the legal achievements of people with disabilities in Iran. Article 16 of the seventh development plan, which according to Behrouz Morvati, the director of the campaign for the disabled, is the main violation of rights, has put the government’s hands in the employment of people with disabilities with lower wages and benefits than the approved rate of the Supreme Council

However, these discriminations do not end here. In the footnote of Article 199 of the Seventh Development Plan, the Ministry of Labor has been obliged to monitor the compliance with the conditions of support and eligibility of individuals and take action to continue and eliminate services for them, instead of increasing services and providing more support for people with disabilities. Even in the second footnote of this article, a step has been taken backwards (in fact, backwards) and it has been stated that support agencies must remove 20% of the households under their coverage, who have a working-age person with the ability to work, from the support cycle annually. This is while in the current situation, even Article 27 of the Law on Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has not been implemented. According to this article, the allowance for this group was supposed to increase by 40%. Based on this article, the government is obliged to determine the cost of living assistance for individuals with severe or severe disabilities who are unemployed

This discrimination between individuals with disabilities and non-disabled citizens exists in certain conditions in Iran and has a legal color and smell. In December 2008, Iran ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. According to Article 7 of this Convention, “discrimination against any person on the basis of disability is a violation of the inherent dignity and worth of the human person.” (4) However, in Iran, only 70% of the benefits are considered for individuals with disabilities. The government also does not see itself obligated to enforce existing laws regarding individuals with disabilities and their rights are being diminished day by day; a group that often struggles to obtain basic health and medical necessities and daily living needs.

But the government is not the only one to blame. People with disabilities are not only in need of medical and hygiene supplies and minimum living expenses. They also need the ability to socialize and move around in cities, just like other members of society, in order to have a social life. A clear example of this is the city of Tehran. Since 2013, the Tehran Municipality has established a transportation system for veterans and people with disabilities. To use this system, these individuals must contact the municipality two days before the day they need the service and provide their subscription code, origin and destination address, and departure and return time. They must also follow up the next day. However, this system has many problems. The number of vehicles is very limited compared to the number of people with disabilities. Additionally, these vehicles sometimes break down and due to lack of funding, repairs can take a long time. But there is one positive aspect, which is the placement of these vehicles in the Azadi

However, a decision has been made to transfer this system to another location, and the Azadi Stadium and Fath Square in Tehran have been considered for it. If this system is moved to either of these two points, it will no longer be possible to access various parts of Tehran. In addition, the Tehran Municipality has made another decision, which is to separate this complex from the unified company and join it to the taxi company. However, the history of the taxi company shows that it will not be able to handle this task and will delegate it to contractors. (5) The result of delegating this task to contractors is also a multiple increase in the cost of transportation. Disability rights activists in Tehran have protested against this decision, but it has not been cancelled yet and only promises have been made by the City Council and the Tehran Municipality. However, with the track record of these institutions and the chaotic privatization in Iran, there is fear that this possibility will also be taken away from

These are just two of the many problems faced by people with disabilities in Iran. People with disabilities are not only struggling with economic difficulties and the inability to participate in social life. Sometimes, as in the recent case at the Niloufar Abi Mental Disability Center in Bushehr, they are also subjected to physical abuse. It seems that the order for the arrest of the abuser was issued after the video was shared on social media. But how many cases like this happen in the country and result in arrests? The rights of people with disabilities in Iran, like the basic rights of many social classes, are always ignored. The legal protections for them are also overlooked. During natural disasters, they are forgotten, and even on Labor Day, workers with disabilities are forgotten. This attitude and cultural behavior towards this group of society is a sign of problems that go beyond just government and legal issues. People with disabilities in society are a group that can lift the burden off of society’s shoulders. They are

Notes:

1- Why do disabled people constantly fall behind?, Shabakeh Shargh, 23 August 2023.

2- The government does not implement it; Increase in disability allowance, Voice of America, 31 July 1402.

3- The government announced the poverty line to be 14.5 million tomans, but the salary is only 7 million! Jamaran News and Information Base, 3 Farvardin 1402.

4- The Law of Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, passed on 1387/09/13, is part of the National System of Laws and Regulations of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

5- The disabled community activist discussed with Iscanews; multiple gatherings of disabled individuals protesting against the new decision of the municipality/ consequences of entrusting the transportation system of veterans to contracting companies, Iscanews, August 9th, 2023.

Created By: Azad Mohammadi
August 23, 2023

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