Friday, November 28, 2008

Employers, individuals who discriminate against people with disabilities in Nigeria could receive high fines, up to 6 months in jail

From AllAfrica.com:

Companies and other corporate organisations in the country that discriminate against disabled persons in employment may soon be liable to payment of a minimum of N250,000 to the affected person as nominal damages.

Similarly, any individual who discriminates against such persons may pay a minimum of N100,000 as damages to the affected or risk six months imprisonment or both.

These provisions are contained in a bill being proposed jointly by the House of Representatives Committees on Women Affairs and Human Rights.

It is entitled, "An Act to ensure full Integration of Persons with Disabilities into the Society and to establish a National Commission for Persons with Disabilities and vest it with the Responsibilities for their Education, Healthcare and the Protection of their Social, Economic, Civil and Political Rights."

Women Affairs Committee Chairman, Binta Masi Garba, who announced the presentation of the bill, jointly sponsored by Abike Dabiri (AC, Lagos) and Henry Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa), also said the bill would ensure that any corporate body found to have subjected any person with disability to prejudices or harmful practices, including those based on sex, age or tradition, would pay N250,000 as damages to such person.

Garba listed other areas of discrimination which will attract penalties as accessibilities of disabled persons to public buildings, private houses, roads, airport facilities, seaport and railway facilities and technology