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Summary: During the Middle East and North Africa regional consultation on children and the UN disability Convention in Sana’a, Yemen, CRIN will be talking to some of the children, with and without disabilities, who are participating. Their voices will be recorded here: http://www.crin.org/DisabilityNews.
Muna, 15, from Hajjah, Yemen What brought you to this event today? Do you think there are some ways children with disabilities in Yemen are treated differently from other children? Are there any other places where you think children with disabilities are discriminated against? What do you think are some of the reasons that people might discriminate against other children who do not have support from their families and classmates? Is there anything you would like your government to do to change how children with disabilities are treated? As you are here representing the other children in your association, what will you tell them when you see them again? What would you like to say to him?  Â
I came on behalf of my Association: the Physical Disability Association. There are lots of girls in my association but I was nominated to come to talk in this event on behalf of them for this event.
Yes, I think a lot of children with disabilities here are discriminated against in schools. I am very lucky, all my classmates treat me very well and respect me a lot, but in the past people have thrown stones at me on my way to school. But God made me this way and so I am thankful for who I am.
Some children are discriminated against by their families, for example some children with disabilities are not allowed to eat with the rest of the family. My family treats me well. I have nine brothers and sisters and my parents love us all equally.
Because of shame. Parents are sometimes ashamed of having children with disabilities so they send them away to small villages and rural areas to hide them. Some fathers who have children who cannot walk beat them when they try to walk on their hands because they can’t use their legs. Others force them to beg.
They should make laws to stop families from being violent with their children and speak nicely with children with disabilities and listen to them. In schools they should make special ramps so that it is easy for children to go into the school. Also, when they go to the park, many children feel left out – they can’t play with the other children because they can’t use the swings, etc.
I will tell them about what the other children have been saying at the meeting, particularly about wanting to be treated equally. There is one boy at my association who has a very bad disability and his parents gave him to the institution temporarily because something happened to the family – they are very poor and so needed the association to give him a home.
I would like to give him my heart and treat him equally as my brother.