Spain will soon reform its Constitution to remove all forms of discriminatory language against disabled people, currently referred to as “handicapped”, after parliament approved the measure on Thursday, with only the far-right VOX party voting against it.
With its approval, the term “handicapped” featured in Article 49 of the Constitution will be replaced by the term “persons with disabilities”, with only the Senate left to approve the measure – which it is expected to do without any problems, perhaps next week, Euractiv’s partner EFE reported.
One in six world citizens, or 16% of the global population, which accounts for around 1.3 billion people, have significant disabilities, according to WHO estimates.
The proposed change was submitted at the initiative of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist Party PSOE (S&D), which currently rules alongside the left-wing platform Sumar and by Partido Popular, parliament’s main opposition party.
On Thursday, the Chamber voted in favour of the amendment with 312 votes in favour and 32 lawmakers from VOX, the third largest political force, voting against it.
“There is still a long way to go to achieve diversity and full inclusion, and today we are taking a big step towards this goal”, Sánchez told parliament after the vote,
He also apologised to associations of disabled people for having taken “so many years” to remove such an “offensive” term from the Constitution.
“Good politics is something similar to what we have just done (agreement between PP and PSOE), which has been the result of a pact, a pact in which the parties have negotiated and reached a consensus”, commented PP’s leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo.
Commenting on the decision was the president of the Spanish Committee of Representatives of People with Disabilities, Luis Cayo Pérez, who called it an “achievement and a long-awaited improvement for the country”.
“When society (which was asking for this change) is listened to, the message is clear”, stressed Social Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy of Sumar.
(Fernando Heller | EuroEFE.Euractiv.es)
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