(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) BEIRUT, March 7 (KUNA) -- A senior Lebanese official on Thursday called for continuous efforts in the Arab countries to secure needs of juveniles of special cases.
Conditions of handicapped children and teenagers in the Arab world are not good; they need to practice their rights in full, get sufficient medical care and technical aid, said Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs Rrichar Qayoumejian, addressing a ceremony marking launch of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA) campaign concerning good treatment of this segment of the society.
He called for aiding the disabled youngsters so they could play an effective role in their communities.
Meanwhile, Dr. Rola Dashti, the UN secretary general undersecretary and the executive secretary of ESCWA, noted in her address that strifes in the Arab region have increased numbers of the maimed, those suffering from shock, diseases and malnutrition.
Number of the youth in the Arab region exceeds 200 million, 60 percent of the population are aged below 30. By 2030, the figure will swell to 250 million, said Dr. Dashti, a renowned Kuwaiti academic.
Rates of literacy and education among children and youngsters of disabilities are very low. Handicapped girls, particularly those living in rural regions, are being shunned and marginalized, said Dr. Dashti.
More than 20 percent of Syrian refugees aged above two years in Lebanon suffer from disabilities and less than 50 percent of handicapped children are enrolled at schools, said Dr. Dashti shedding further light on the special cases' plight.
For her part, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Disability Maria Soledad Cisternas Reyes affirmed necessity to empower cases of special needs to secure opportunities for them.
ESCWA's campaign, she said in her statement at the ceremony, is aimed at enhancing awareness on according juveniles of special cases better treatment worldwide. (end) ayb.rk

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