There are close to 5000 people over the age of five years who are living with disabilities in Samoa, revealed Minister for Women, Community and Social Development Mulipola Anarosa Molioo at the opening of the International Day for Persons with Disabilities 2023 on Monday.

In her keynote address, the Minister said the findings of the Household Income and Expenditure Survey conducted by the Samoa Bureau of Statistics in the year 2021 notes close to 3 per cent of Samoa’s population aged five years and above are persons with disabilities.

This percentage is equivalent to approximately 5000 people of Samoa’s total population.

In the year 2016, the government of Samoa ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, this means the nation has to do its part to provide equal opportunities, access to education, health, employment and ensure rights of the disabled are protected.

Mulipola said Samoa has since strengthened, improved and implemented significant developments in respect of the rights of its persons with disabilities.

“This includes the review and formulation of relevant policies as well as enhancing partnerships to accelerate its efforts aimed at supporting and maintaining the social well-being of persons with disabilities,” she said.

“Some of the major developments delivered by Samoa benefitting its persons with disabilities include the formulation of its National Disability Policy, the formulation of the  National Building Code which encompasses disability friendly requirements; the spearheading of inclusive education; facilitating improved Health Services to cater for disability needs; and many others; including the recently implemented Disability Benefit Scheme, funded by government, which disburses 100tala for each person with disabilities, every month.

“To date, a total of approximately 3000 persons with disabilities have benefitted from this government initiative.”

Mulipola said the vision of the Pathway for the Development of Samoa (PDS), is - “Fostering social harmony, safety, and freedom for all”.

She said this vision speaks to the commitment of the government to ensure all people have equal access to all available opportunities and services, and that no one is left behind, regardless of their gender, age with or without a disability

“The Strategic Outcome one of the PDS focuses on Improved Social Development which aims at better opportunities and services for all in areas such as education, health, social security and ensuring that they are equipped with the correct skills and knowledge, suitable to each person’s strengths and interests,” she said.

“Persons with Disabilities are sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, heads of families and communities. They play a crucial role in societies and are indeed our very own.

“They have human rights that should be respected and are entitled to all available opportunities and services as citizens of the country.”

Reports by the Pacific Community shows that Samoa still needs to do a lot when it comes to people with disabilities. The report said while there was disparity in accessing basic services such as water and sanitation, there was a big disparity when it came to education and employment opportunities.