VNAH and MOLISA Continue to Work on Rights Issues

Since early 2009, VNAH has been supporting the efforts of the Legal Department of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) to revise provisions in the Labor Code related to employment of people with disabilities.  VNAH also provided technical assistance to the government, which is working toward ratification of the U.N. Convention for the Rights of Disabled (CRPD).  These activities are a part of VNAH’s USAID-funded project on disabilities.  

VNAH is also engaged with MOLISA to ensure that provisions related to the employment of people with disabilities are appropriately addressed and are responsive to the concerns of both PWDs and employers.  In particular, the project tackles discrimination against persons with disabilities, addressing such issues as unfairly limiting the work day of such persons to seven hours or inaccessible work place environments.  VNAH has engaged a local consultant to conduct a desk study of these issues. In addition, three workshops to gather input for revisions to the labor code are being organized by MOLISA and VNAH.

MOLISA has completed two studies on provisions related to people with disabilities that are addressed in the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The studies offer predictions about the impact and examine the feasibility of ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Disabled in the current Vietnamese context.  A draft proposal is out for comment by experts from various ministries and organizations prior to its submission to the government in June 2010.