An Examination of the Rights of Visual Impaired Persons Under Cameroonian Law
Keywords:
Examination, rights, disability, impairment, visual impaired personsAbstract
This paper sets out to examine the right of visual impaired persons under Cameroonian law. Visual impaired persons have fundamental human rights like any citizen without disabilities. Considering their physical impairment, they equally enjoyed special rights. These rights have been embedded in different pieces of legal instruments. However, they are marginalised and discriminated in our society today. As a result of this, there is need to protect these rights which have been guaranteed under the different pieces of international, regional and national legal instruments. The findings of this paper revealed that the appropriation of these rights have been ineffective because of the weaknesses of the laws, infrastructural challenges and the attitude of the community towards them. It is therefore recommended that the various stakeholders and the community at large takes conscious actions in promoting their rights.
References
World Health Organisation (2021), Blindness and Vison Impairment.
Moki, E., (2021), Cameroon Blind as for more Braille Awareness Voice of Africa.
These rights are contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) adopted on 10th December 1948, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) 1966, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and Optional Protocol.
The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the 1990 African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (African Children’s Charter).
First generation, second generation, third and fourth generation human rights.
Section 2 of Law No 201002 of 13 April 2010, Relating to the protection and Welfare of Disabled Persons.
Article 1 of CRPD.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Shomsang, E., (2022), “Visual Impairment and Human Rights”, American Journal of Law, Vol.4, Issue 1, PP.1-14.
World Health Organisation (2021), Op. Cit, n1.
Article 26 0f the UDHRs of 1948 holds that everyone has the right to education.
Section 24(1) CRPDs.
Section 2 of Law No. 2010/002 of 13 April 2010.
Section 355(2) of the 2016 Cameroonian Penal Code.
Section 3(2) of the 2018 Decree.
Section 4 of the 2018 Decree.
Other measures include: initial and continuing training of specialized staff in the supervision of disable people, the provision of pupils and students with disabilities with educational materials appropriate to the nature of the disability; the use of interpreters for sign language in schools or universities; the introduction for the hearing impaired of the spell check test in place of the dictation test; the installation of pupils or students with disabilities in rooms located on the ground floor or near the board, depending on the nature of their handicaps, exempts them from age.
Article 6 of the ICESCR.
Article 13 (1) of the 2018 Decree.
Article 14 (2) of the 2018 Decree.
Article 16 (2) of the 2018 Decree.
http://www.minas.cm/en/component/k2/item/8-persons-with-disabilties.html(Lastly Accessed on the 2nd September,2022).
Sections 33-35 of the 2010 Law.
Article 18 (1) of the 2018 Decree. These stakeholders have as duty to take all necessary measures that will facilitate the accessibility of visual impaired people to public and private buildings and institutions open to the public.
Article 18 (2) of the 2018 Decree.
Ibid.
Article 20 (1) of the 2018 Decree.
Article 20 (2) of the 2018 Decree.
Article 22 (1) of the 2018 Decree.
Article 22 (2) of the 2018 Decree.
Section 123 0f the 2016 Cameroonian Penal Code.
Section 45 of Law No. 2012/001 of 19 April Relating to the Cameroonian Electoral Code.
Section 23 of the 2018 Decree.
Section on 24 of the 2018 Decree.
The objectives of this law prima facie is the practice of physical and sporting activities including institutions that meets the needs of persons with disabilities, the creation of the Cameroonian National Paralympic Committee and the creation of sport federations under the orders of disability.
Section 26 &27 of the 2018 Decree.
Such as the non-perception of any public support for installation or self-employment purposes; the non-enjoyment of social benefits in respect of occupational risks, old-age or invalidity pension, or any other form of life pension; the absence of any preferential measures for employment granted by the public authorities; the non-enjoyment of a monthly salary equivalent to at least the Guaranteed Minimum Interprofessional Salary (SMIG).
Medical Consultation; laboratory examinations; radiography or medical imaging; hospitalization; medical evacuation and purchase of certain medicines, in specialized institutions and public or private health facilities
Article 29 (1) 2018 Decree.
Section 45 of the 2010 Law.
An Interview with a visual Impaired student at the University of Yaounde. (September 2nd, 2022).
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Kesah, P., (2022), ‘’Formal Education Is a Farce for Blind and Visually Impaired People in Cameroon.
Time News (2022), Cameroon: Visually Impaired Persons Decry Gross violation of Human Rights, Call Prime Minister for integration into Public service.
Kesah, P., (2022), Op. Cit, n 45.
Tangwa, M., (2021), “An Evaluation of the Legal Mechanisms Put in Place to Protect the Rights of Women with Special Needs in Cameroon”, Zien Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, Volume 1 Issue 1, PP.115-122.
