New disability rights legislation published in Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwe Persons with Disabilities Bill has been tabled and published in an official government gazette, an essential step for it to become law – the first new legislation on disability in the country since 1992.

This comes just days after the launch of the Equal Zimbabwe campaign, a new coalition campaign calling for national disability rights to be upheld in law. The launch event was intentionally held on the morning of a parliamentary session and was attended by both MPs and senators who then tabled the bill the same afternoon.

The Equal Zimbabwe campaign is fighting to ensure people with disabilities are included in society and that barriers are removed to ensure that they can fully enjoy their rights.

This new legislation will replace the outdated Disabled Persons Act and comply with the UN Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities, setting a higher standard for the protection of rights in Zimbabwe.

The new Persons with Disabilities bill must now go through a comprehensive consultation and the Equal Zimbabwe campaign will advocate for this process to be truly inclusive of people with disabilities from across the country.