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Law Ensures Welfare of the Handicapped: Deng
The rule of law is the fundamental guarantee for the healthy and sustainable development of the cause for the handicapped in China, said Deng Pufang, chairman of the China Disabled Persons' Federation.
At a symposium Saturday to mark the 10th anniversary of the promulgation the law on the protection of handicapped people, Deng said the law has had the most far-reaching impact on the handicapped population and the whole society though the federation has done a lot in the past 10 years.
Over the past 10 years, all the 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, along with over 85 percent of cities and prefectures and 65 percent of counties, have adopted local laws or regulations to implement the law, according to Deng.
Gu Jinchi, a vice-chairman of the Committee for Internal and Judicial Affairs of the National People's Congress, informed the participants of the progress China has made in helping the handicapped over the past decade.
The employment rate of the handicapped has reached 80 percent, compared with 60 percent ten years ago. Over 50,000 welfare factories now employ 960,000 handicapped workers.
Furthermore, 77.2 percent of children with disabilities are now enrolled in school, a sharp rise over the 20 percent a decade ago.
So far, legal assistance centers have been set up in all 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, as well as in 81 percent of cities and 57 percent of counties. Local governments have issued or are considering issuing favorable policies on taxation to handicapped families.
However, handicapped people still suffer from many difficulties, Gu said. Currently, 30 million of the handicapped people are living under the poverty line, including nine million who do not have enough to eat or wear.
China should work out a special law on legal assistance for the handicapped, he added.
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