Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina has urged the people to help create scope for flourishing talents of the autistic children and be sympathetic to them as all have duties and responsibilities to such disadvantaged children alongside their parents and the state, reports UNB.
"I'll urge all to see that the autistic and disabled children are not neglected and they could get scope for flourishing their talents as they are also part of the society. It's our goal so that we could ensure their secured life," she said on Wednesday at the inaugural function of the 7th World Autism Awareness Day 2014.
Social Welfare Minister Syed Mohsin Ali presided over the function held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the morning.
State Minister for Social Welfare Promod Mankin was the special guest at the function while Secretary in-charge of the ministry Nasima Begum delivered the address of welcome.
This year's theme of the Day is 'We all are for increasing awareness on autism'.
From the conference centre, Hasina unveiled the plaques of the foundation stone of the National Disability Complex to be constructed in city's Mirpur area and declared turning the National Foundation for the Development of the Disabled to the Disabled Development Directorate.
The PM mentioned that every year she used to distribute about 20,000 to 25,000 greeting cards marking the New Year and Eid festivals with the work of art by an autistic child. From now on, she said, she would take three works of art from three autistic children for the greeting cards.
Hasina exchanged pleasantries with some of the autistic children present at the conference center and hugged them warmly.
Mentioning that many parents of the autistics children often tend to confine their children at home, Hasina suggested them not to do so as all people of the society would have to be sympathetic to all such disadvantaged children.
She said: "It is our goal to enable them live in the mainstream of the society,"
"Every person has the right to live with dignity and the persons with disability including the autistic ones have the equal right to such dignity alongside leading a healthy life," she added.
The PM reminded that real development is not possible without balanced development and reaching its benefits to the doorsteps of all people. She said balanced development can not be ensured keeping the disabled people including those with autism outside the mainstream.
As per the election manifesto of 2008, Hasina said that her previous government had passed two laws - 'The Disabled People's Rights and Protection Act, 2013' and 'The Neuro-developmental Disabled Protection Act, 2013'.
"After the formation of the government this time, we've taken initiatives for framing necessary rules for the two laws."
She said to involve the persons with disability in the mainstream of
development, her government during the 1996-2001 tenure constituted the National Foundation for the Development of the Disabled in 1999. This organisation has been working for the development of the persons with disability.
