Promote Policies for Youths with Disabilities, PIN Tells African Governments
Emma Okonji
African governments have been urged to promote the digital inclusion policy of youths with disabilities by integrating digital courses in schools.
Paradigm Initiative (PIN), which advocates for digital rights and inclusion across Africa, made the call in line with the global initiative of the International Youth Day, which was commemorated on August 12th, and had since become an annual celebration.
According to a statement released by PIN, “Youth with disabilities are digitally excluded in Africa, a situation which violates their fundamental rights. On the continent, youth with disabilities, especially those from under-served communities, are at a disadvantage regarding most Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) despite government commitments to comply with international human rights treaties such as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.”
Statistics from the United Nations (UN) indicate that Africa has more than 80 million persons with disabilities, half of whom are youth. Young people with disabilities continue to face barriers as they lack assistive technologies and have limitations in accessing the Internet. They face unparalleled discrimination and are the most at risk when it comes to the adoption of cutting-edge technologies. This is despite the fact that young people in Africa are seen by the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 as a crucial population group in enhancing socio-economic solutions in Africa.
