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Press Release - June, 2001
Rights of Disabled Persons
The Chairperson of the Fiji Human Rights Commission, Justice Sailosi W. Kepa, today called upon the owners of public places and providers of public services to ensure that disabled persons have equal access to these amenities or risk violating the equality provisions of the 1997 Constitution and International Human Rights Laws.
Justice Kepa's comments comes after a recent letter in a newspaper by a person in a wheelchair claiming that she had been denied access into a shop in Suva by a salesman.Every person has the right of access, without discrimination on a prohibited ground, to shops, hotels, lodging-houses, public restaurants, places of public entertainment, public transport services, taxis and public places - Section 38 subsection 4 of the 1997 Constitution.
"It is the duty of owners of shops and public places to ensure that people who are physically challenged have access to public amenities like any other person. Where there is a need to build wheel chair access to shops, buildings and lifts the appropriate authorities should do so," he said."The Equality provision of the 1997 Constitutions clearly states that a person must not be unfairly discriminated against, directly or indirectly, on the grounds of his or her language, birth, economic status, age, disability, opinions or beliefs - to the extent that those opinions and beliefs don't harm other persons rights and freedoms," said Justice KepaJudge Kepa further stated that should any person feel that they have been unfairly discriminated against or that their human rights have been breached under any of the provisions in Chapter 4 of the 1997 Constitutions or the 1999 Human Rights Commission Act, then they should lodge a complaint with the Fiji Human Rights Commission.
The Commission is empowered by the 1997 Constitution to protect and promote human rights of all persons in the Fiji islands.