The Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva
Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva cited 2012 Census data indicating that over 1.7 million persons with disabilities were recorded in Sri Lanka, 57 per cent of them women, and that 71 per cent were outside the labour force. He noted that the data is outdated and the current situation may be more severe, and highlighted limited economic access for disabled persons. He pointed to poor implementation of the 1988 circular requiring 3 per cent of public sector jobs to be reserved for persons with disabilities.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Thank you.
¶ 02 We have reliable data on persons with disabilities primarily from the 2012 Census. It records over 1.7 million persons with disabilities, of whom 57 per cent are women—higher than their general population share. Critically, 71 per cent of disabled persons are outside the labour force—economically inactive. That picture is over a decade old; today it is likely more complex and adverse. Access to the economy is very limited. A circular from 1988 requires 3 per cent of public sector jobs for persons with disabilities, but implementation has lagged.
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Monday, 24 February 2025 ·No. 1741236032093385 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 24 February 2025. No. 1741236032093385. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/11776