By Ayman Adly/Staff Reporter
Media play an important role in protecting the rights of women and people with disabilities, and eliminating discrimination against them, a human rights forum in Doha was told yesterday.
The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) yesterday launched a two-day training forum on the “protection and promotion of human rights” as part of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
The forum was inaugurated by NHRC deputy chairman Yusuf Obaidan and attended by mediapersons from Qatar and other Arab countries alongside legal experts .
“The concept of human rights is not limited to texts or declarations approved by nations. They are essential principles that have gained legitimacy, importance and necessity from the fundamental existence of man. They are also constantly growing and developing for the good of man and could not be limited by laws, conventions, language or place,” said Obaidan in his inaugural address.
He said the relationship between human rights and the media has gained prominence in today’s world as many communities, particularly in the Arab world, have transformed into democracies and adopted proper political competition. Eventually, the media should perform its essential duty, which is to spread political, economic and social knowledge among the maximum number of people so as to enable them to make proper choices and claim their rights.
The official stressed that the media has to be realistic and reflect the situation honestly - whether negative or positive, weak or strong - without being guided. More needs to be done to conduct field studies and research on the nature of this relationship, he added.
Obaidan said the forum has been designed to inform mediapersons on the concepts of human rights and will enlarge on the contents of the conventions pertaining to discrimination against women and the rights of people with disabilities. “The media can open the door for discussion and also provide a platform for women and people with disabilities to voice their views,” he added.
The official expressed belief that the discussions and views aired during the event would have a positive impact in terms of achieving the targets of the NHRC in general and the forum in particular.
Participants at the forum stressed that people with disabilities have to be integrated into the larger society through proper assessment of their capabilities and by not challenging them with demands that may surpass their natural limitations. Further, national legislation and regulations should enable them to gain their equal share of social life with full rights.
For example, courts and legal centres should provide sign-language interpreters to assist the hearing impaired in acquiring their rights, public transport should make room for the physically-challenged with proper equipment and governments should provide them with adequate and just share of job opportunities.
The forum, which concludes today, also argued that the media should adopt the cause of these people and also fight potential discrimination against them or women by raising public awareness.