By Ghadeer Ghloum

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Society for Guardians of Persons with Disabilities held a workshop on Monday to discuss UN reports on rights of people with disabilities. The workshop included a group of specialists in matters concerning people with special needs, presented by trainer Adel Al-Qallaf, who shed light on several issues. The most important topics mentioned in the workshop include recognizing human rights standards, the system for protecting human rights and defining obligations towards human rights.

Qallaf began with a hadith of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on human rights: “Do not kill a child, a woman, an elderly person, a hermit in a hermitage, or damage a palm tree or destroy a building.” He then spoke about international humanitarian law, which includes the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 for the protection of the wounded and sick in the field, the drowned, prisoners of war and civilians during times of war.

Qallaf highlighted human rights, stating they are fundamental standards that people cannot live without in dignity, and that individuals and societies cannot grow without them. He included individuals with special needs in his speech, indicating that they have the right to all their rights equally with other individuals at all levels, whether educational, professional, social, cultural, economic and other aspects.

Qallaf also mentioned Article 1 of the United Nations Charter for the year 1945, which states the promotion of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all people and encourages this without discrimination based on gender, language or religion, and without distinction between men and women.