Lack of access to justice worries DAPD

DAPD’s Nathalie Murphy

There are not enough provisions in the constitution to protect disabled people in Dominica.

This is the observation being made by Executive Director of the Dominica Association of Persons Living with Disabilities (DAPD).

Nathalie Murphy told a press conference here recently that access to justice is becoming a problem for the disabled movement here.

“There are disabled people here who are being abused by members of their family and society and have no access to justice,” she said.

Murphy said perpetrators of mistreatment, sexual and physical abuse against the elderly have not been brought to justice because the laws fail to make the necessary provisions.

“Only last week, I had a call from someone in one of the communities, seeking our intervention in getting sign language interpretation for a young woman who has been constantly abused. The police cannot do anything about it because they cannot understand what the young woman was saying,” she explained.

She is hoping that now the Convention on the Rights of Persons Living with Disabilities has been ratified, some attention will be given to address the problem.

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9 Comments

  1. MA CHARLES
    November 29, 2012

    ROSEAU VALLLEY

    You see] to be an expert at responding to your own articles or literary compilation. You even referred to the works of ROSEAU VALLEY as being nonsensical. I also view with interests the abject shrewdness of 1979.
    DNO dont fall into the trap at placing one ROSEAU VALLLEY over another. Let the readers decide at the end of the day if there are TWO ROSEAU VALLEYS then in the end let the best one prevail. I however believe that they may well be one and the same person or ortherwise; in any case it adds some degree of intellectual antagonism and interests to DNO and I believe any readers love the debate.
    I LOVE both ROSEAU VALLEYS whether they are the same person or not.

  2. LadyLiberty
    November 27, 2012

    We need to find and train pple in sign language and other areas which benefit the most vulnerable in our society. I think i will take a Course in sign language to help the authorites to help those abused disabled pple. Lord help us to “Do the right and be firm and fair,” we are Dominicans for goodness sake.

  3. ROSEAU VALLEY
    November 27, 2012

    There is a rebuttable presumption of innocence until guilt is proven. This is one of the core principles of law. While there is a body of emperical evidence which points to a preponderance of discrimination directed against the lesser abled members of our community, am of the view that there are legal channels which can be reasonably exploited to advance some remedy. For example Legal Aid and also the local Bar Association can be written so that lawyers can be called upon to do some PRO BONO work. The family members must also work closer with the police and other agents of social control to deal with this serious issue. The Ministry of Community developent must also play a more proactive role in this regard. There may also be a need to build a SAFE HOUSE for these people and where necessary subject them to pyschological diagnosis. I opine that an attempt mmust be made by our beloved Prime Minister and his hard working team of ministers to review our laws so that the penalties can be made more severe when perons are convicted for infringents against those less fortunate in our midst. For my part , I am prepared to use my resources to work with civil society to assist those who are in need.
    Mrs N. Murphy, I honor you for all the work that you and your organization have been doing. However the doors of justice have not been closed on your people. Access is still availbale. We in the Valley are mindful of this and our government; the peoples government will continue to help those who are the least amongst us. This is manifested in the NEW GROTTO PROJECT and the attempt by government to impose a sense of FORENSICISM therein and to make the place more modernized bot for staff and inates.

    • 1979
      November 27, 2012

      LOLOLOLLLLOLOL woyyyy HAHAHAH what a joke…

      imitated but NEVER duplicated…. Will the REAL
      Roseau valley please stand up!

      • ROSEAU VALLEY
        November 27, 2012

        Dear 1979 et al

        I shall leave it to the readers to differentiate the views of the original ROSEAU VALLEY from these imposters. For far you have been doing a great job in that regard.

        I shall not dignify these nonsensical comments and attempts to neutralize my contribution via this medium.

        You know what they say about publicity. Whether it is good or bad, as long as the objective is to publicize the Roseau Valley, give voice to the concerns of the people of the Valley and to bring to the fore the corruption of the Labour Party administration and the central role of the Roseau Valley Parl Rep in that cesspool – then the more original and imposter ROSEAU Valleys on DNO will be beneficial to the profile of the ROSEAU VALLEY in seeking to destroy the cancer of corruption in Dominica.

        Respectfully
        Roseau Valley
        (You decide whether this comment is from the original of fake Roseau Valley)

      • MA CHARLES
        November 29, 2012

        the same person thats there playing mind games on you dont be stupid

    • Peeping Tom
      November 27, 2012

      Now.. why are you doing this? It is not nice what you are doing to ROSEAU VAllEY and the readers of DNO. Do you really think that you can pass off as ROSEAU VALLEY? you are so pathetic.

      DNO Admin: Can you stop this from happening? It there any way you can stop this?
      Chupesss!

      ADMIN: Yes, it can be stopped. Any future posts from the ‘fake’ Roseau Valley will not be published.

      • MA CHARLES
        November 29, 2012

        DNO Stupes you want to bury free speech?
        let all those ROSEAU VALLEY reign!!! THE FITTEST WILL SURVIVE ////// BUT ITS ONE PERSON USING DIFFERENT PC LINES etc.

  4. 1979
    November 27, 2012

    Even if there WERE enough provisions in the constitution to protect disabled people in Dominica.

    WOULD THEY BE ENFORCED?????

    able bodied people can scarcely get justice in Dominica much less….

    when will my nation rise?? an those “intellectuals” and PROFESSIONALS use their PHDs and Doctorates for the common national good and not for SELFISH GAIN?? when will these people have a sense of MORAL OBLIGATION and realize that the gifts which they have been endowed are not a RIGHT but a PRIVILEGE to serve the less fortunate.

    till we see the caliber of Man who is likened to TRUE GREATNESS we will be scraping the bottom of the barrel for naught.

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