Lawmakers have advised the government to consider setting up a national centre for children with disabilities.

The call was made, yesterday, by members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Unity, Human Rights and fight against Genocide.

The MPs were meeting the Minister for Gender and Family Promotion, Oda Gasinzigwa, and Zaina Nyiramatama, the executive secretary of the National Commission for Children, to discuss issues concerning children with disabilities and orphanages as reported by the National Commission for Human Rights.

Gaston Rusiha, an MP for Persons Living with Disabilities, who had been invited by the committee to give his take on interests of children with disabilities, said the group suffers daily discrimination, stigmatisation, and lack of adequate policies and legislation.

He said such treatments have barred children from realising their rights.

"For the children to have appropriate upbringing, it is better that government considers taking it upon itself to have one or two national centres for children with disabilities if they are to protect them from all sorts of human rights abuses,” Rusiha sid.

His comments were echoed by MP Edouard Bampoliki, who said most of the centres for children with disabilities "do it out of financial interests from funding agencies, not because they sincerely love the children.”

A report by the human rights commission, released in October last year, indicated that children with disabilities were not accorded due care in various centres visited, the majority of which are private.

Without giving figures, the report cited "a few” cases of children with disabilities were impregnated before the age of 21, hence recommending tough measure to protect disadvantaged children.

Minister Gasinzigwa said the idea was subject to government study and approval.

"This is a wonderful idea; we surely need to protect children and give them the best care will present the concept before the Cabient, and will give you the feedback,” she told the MPs.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), children with disabilities are one of the most marginalised and excluded groups in society.

"We definitely need to adopt a new concept of bringing these children together, in a well structured centre with all sorts of facilities, including schools and healthcare facilities so that we can collectively help them grow well,” Rusiha said.

Nyiramatama told The New Times that the concept was plausible.

"Hopefully, government and its partners can provide the resources needed to develop the facility,” she said.

There are more than 4,000 registered children with disabilities in 44 care centres in the country.

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