The role of civil society organizations in promoting the rights of persons with disabilities in Ethiopia

Abstract

Recognition of human rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs) by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities (CRPD), which Ethiopia has ratified, can be considered a beacon of hope for the realization of equality and dignity of PWDs. There are few legislations in Ethiopia concerning PWDs and disability related provisions. Ministries and Agencies have begun to mainstream disability in their various undertakings and mandates. However, the issue of civil society organizations (CSOs) in connection to the rights of PWDs in Ethiopia is under-explored and less researched. Taking this fact in to account, the purpose of this article is to explore how CSOs, particularly Disabled Persons’ Organizations (DPOs), contribute to the foundation of human rights promotion by analyzing their roles and practices in the monitoring and implementation of laws and policies related to PWDs. To this end,
selected provisions of the CRPD, regional human rights instruments, national laws and academic literatures were analyzed. Having discussed existing laws and practices, this article concludes that despite considerable capacity and resource constraints, in order to advance human rights of PWDs in Ethiopia, more is expected from CSOs, especially related to collaboration with government and partnership organizations.