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Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159) - Pakistan (RATIFICATION: 1994)

The Committee notes the observations of the Employers’ Federation of Pakistan (EFP) and the Pakistan Workers’ Federation (PWF) incorporated in the Government’s report.

Articles 3 and 7 of the Convention. Promotion of employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. The Committee previously noted that a 2 per cent quota was fixed for the employment of persons with disabilities in all state-related employment and asked the Government to provide further information on the measures taken in the context of its policy on vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities. The Government indicates in its report that the overall vision of the National Policy for Persons with Disabilities aims to provide by 2025 an environment that would allow full realization of the potential of persons with disabilities by ensuring, inter alia, that they are able to enjoy their rights and opportunities as other citizens do. The Government adds that the 2 per cent quota has also been reserved for persons with disabilities in all the provinces, in both the public and private sectors. Furthermore, the Technical Education and Vocational Training Authorities (TEVTAs) have set a 5 per cent quota for persons with disabilities for training courses conducted by TEVTA institutions. The Committee notes from the report that in the Province of Punjab, a Home for Persons with Disabilities was established to provide training and rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities; moreover, District Assessment Boards were established in 36 districts of that Province to provide registration and issuance of disability certificates. In this regard, the Committee notes that 118,432 disability certificates were issued in the Province of Punjab. With respect to the Province of Sindh, the Government indicates that the Special Education Department in the Government of Sindh has also implemented decisions of the National Council for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons (NCRDP) regarding the employment quota of persons with disabilities in the public sector. According to the 1998 Census, there are about 3,286,630 persons with disabilities in Pakistan (about 2.54 per cent of the population). In its observations, the PWF recommends for the provision of further statistical information, such as the total number of employed persons with disabilities. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the measures taken in the context of its policy on vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities at the federal and provincial levels. It also requests the Government to include relevant information supported by statistics, disaggregated by sex, on the implementation of the Convention at the federal and provincial levels.