Feature: Disabled South Sudanese call for ending discrimination

Three years of insecurity, a biting economic crisis and widespread discrimination have taken the toll on people with disabilities in South Sudan.

Alfred Nimeri, 35, got paralyzed with polio at the age of six. The disease deformed Nimeri's's legs making him unable to walk. The father of three children now crawls on his knees to fend for his extended family.

Nimeri operates a phone charging business in a busy market in Juba. He crawls daily in the morning and evening to his shop located 10 kms from his home due to lack of a wheelchair.

He said since the outbreak of the December 2013 conflict, he has recounted several incidences of neglect, stigma and denial by his relatives and business partners.

"When I enter any office, people automatically think I'm coming to beg. They just begin to give out something that I don't deserve. Sometimes they deny me access to people I do business with thinking that I'm coming to ask for money from their bosses, Nimeri told Xinhua during an event to commemorate the World Disability Day in Juba on Saturday.

"My business can't bring enough money to satisfy the needs of my family because everything has increased in the market yet I don't have legs to move around to get extra money or do another business," he added.

Nimeri said the environment has become more hostile for people with disabilities especially in Juba as many persons with disabilities have resorted to begging as means of survival.

"One day I asked someone to show me direction to a bank in Juba. He just replied that sorry I don't have money. But after realizing that I was not a beggar, he apologized and moved way. So I was left without any help. So discrimination is a major challenge in this country," he said.

Julius Wani, a blind high school teacher in Juba blamed the authorities for not doing enough to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities.

Wani said that disabled persons have suffered many years of discrimination and exclusion by the government due to lack of policies and resources to support those with special needs.

"Discrimination is everywhere. If there is an event or opportunity in the community, we are always the last to be given the chance to participate," Wani told Xinhua.

"In the office even people don't want me do other things just because I'm blind. I want to work like my colleagues who are normal but I'm not given the chance. I feel bad about that because I know I'm capable," he lamented.

"We struggle to get money, employment and to access public transport and infrastructure," Augustino Longule Elario, Chairperson of the South Sudan Network of People with Disabilities told Xinhua.

According to the disability assessment report of 2011, at least 424,000 people live with disabilities in South Sudan, with the majority of them getting disabilities from eye diseases, polio and physical injuries during war and violent conflicts.

The report says 85 percent of persons with disabilities live in rural areas with limited access to basic services.

The report further notes that people with disabilities face enormous challenges such as access to health services, education and mobility as most of the country's public infrastructure does not have special access zones for people with physical and visual impairment.

Esther Ikere, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Gender and Social Welfare, said the government and development partners have scaled up efforts to address challenges facing people living with disabilities in the African country.

With help from the International Community of the Red Cross (ICRC), over 2,000 disable persons have been rehabilitated with artificial limbs and assistive devices this year, she said.

She however said negative attitudes towards people with disabilities, poverty and insecurity in some areas has slowed down efforts to improve the environment for the disabled.

"We have a lot to do to turn this legal right into a revolution where we have a society where people embrace diversity in all its form and shape to take us to another stage," Ikere said. Endit