The Lesotho National Federation of Organisations of the Disabled (LNFOD) has therefore noted with great appreciation the passing of the bill on November 18.
The bill was first tabled in Parliament on August 31, 2018 by the Minister of Social Development ’Matebatso Doti before it was passed by the House on November 27, 2019.
The passing of the bill marks a turning point for the Lesotho disability movement in which LNFOD and its allies will focus on developing the strategies and mechanisms of ensuring effective enforcements and implementation of this much awaited act.
The passing of this long awaited bill by Senate represents a significant milestone achieved by both the government and persons with disabilities.
If well implemented, the Persons with Disability Equity Act can be a game-changer for persons with disabilities and can facilitate effective mainstreaming of persons with disabilities in all aspects of development.
According to LNFOD, this achievement comes after a long struggle of persons with disabilities demanding the domestication of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities through an Act of Parliament since Lesotho is a dualistic state, which needs to transform the international conventions and treaties into domestic laws before they can be enforceable in the country.
The drafting of this historical Bill started in 2014 wherein many ups and downs experienced made it difficult for the bill to be passed in time just like any other piece of legislation.
