Miss Deaf Africa has called on the government of the Republic of South Sudan to implement the UN Convention which was signed by President Salva Kiir, to advocate for the rights of people living with disabilities.
Josephine Kiden Simon Kiden thanked the president of South Sudan for signing the UN convention which gives her confidence in advocating for people with disabilities.
As they have ratified the UN convention, there is a need to advocate for the rights of people living with disabilities “Miss Deaf states.”
“I was happy because the President of South Sudan signed the UN Convention on 24th February this year, which has given me much confidence in advocating for people with disabilities.
She emphasized that there are many challenges that people living with disabilities are going through, including a lack of interpreters on national broadcasting television.
“As you know in South Sudan, we have no sign language interpreters but the policies have been ratified, so they need help and advocate for our rights as people with hearing impairment, “says Kiden.”
Miss Deaf Africa appealed to the government of South Sudan to advocate and empower the deaf community or people living with a disability.
Josephine Kiden regretted that the deaf community is not given the priority to access education which makes life difficult for them.
“We are not given that priority for us to be in school as people with disability more especially the hearing impairment, we have left behind and we are still behind.”
She added that there is less support for the people living with disabilities in South Sudan.
She regretted how they struggled to help their colleagues whom they traveled with to Dar-Salam Tanzania during the occasion of Miss Deaf International.
Kiden thanked Crown the Women’s charity organization for the support they gave her during the Miss Deaf International Dar-Salam and other well-wishers for standing with her.
She asked the people of South Sudan to support the deaf community because they are working for the benefit of the country.
On 24 February 2023, South Sudan took a historic step by signing a disability inclusion treaty, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
This means that the government will have a legal duty to respect, protect and fulfill the rights of people with disabilities in South Sudan.
The purpose of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is to promote, protect, and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.