Salihorsk human rights defenders urge local officials to report on accessibility program

Representatives of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee in Salihorsk sent a letter to local authorities urging them to provide a report on the implementation of the program for the development of a barrier-free environment in the town’s educational institutions.

The launch of the program was contributed to by a large-scale survey on the rights of people with disabilities conducted by local human rights defenders.

According to local representatives of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, it became known that significant budget funds (the sum of two billion rubles was being discussed) had been provided for the improvement of the situation with a barrier-free environment in Salihorsk schools. The implementation of the project was expected to have been completed by September 1, 2013. However, an inspection of the school facilities cast doubt on the proper use of these funds. For example, there is no sign of ramps, which were to appear in all the town schools. According to the human rights activists, similar shortcomings were discovered as a result of an inspection by the regional education department. Most likely, according to representatives of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, the above funds were used for agricultural needs of the district.

To verify the information the human rights activists sent a special request to the chairman of the district executive committee Aliaksandr Rymasheuski.

In addition, the activists ask the officials to provide information on violations during the construction of a new school in one of the town’s residential areas. Despite building regulations that provide for the creation of a barrier-free environment during the construction of new educational institutions, the new school in Salihorsk lacks the necessary accessibility facilities.