NIHR organizes a Roundtable on the Reality Surrounding People with Down Syndrome in Bahrain
On the occasion of the World Down Syndrome Day, which falls on the 21st of March every year, the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) organized a roundtable on the reality surrounding people with Down syndrome in the Kingdom of Bahrain, attended by a number of Excellency members of the House of Representatives and Shura Council and civil society representatives, as well as parents of people with Down syndrome, to discuss some of the challenges that may be faced by the people with Down syndrome and their enjoyment of various rights and public freedoms.
Ms. Maria Khouri, Chairperson of the NIHR, said that access to healthcare and taking advantage of early intervention programs and inclusive education for everyone as appropriate are essential for the development of an individual, stressing the importance of focusing on the provided services to assure people with Down syndrome that are people with determination and special capabilities from whom we learn willpower and excellence, calling for more efforts to change society’s current view of this group and provide appropriate services rather than relying solely on moral support.
The roundtable concluded with a number of recommendations, most notably proposals for some legislative amendments to raise awareness of Down syndrome and how the society should deal with affected people, overcome the difficulties faced by this group and raise their level of enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms by working with the competent authorities in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
On the other hand, on December 1, 2011, the UN General Assembly called on all Member States, concerned organizations of the United Nations system, other international organizations and the civil society, including non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to observe the World Down Syndrome Day on the 21st of March every year in an appropriate manner to raise public awareness of Down syndrome.
