Deputy Minister of Community Development and Social Services Friday Malwa said Government was domesticating and implementing the rights of people living with disabilities.

 Mr. Malwa said by promoting the rights of people living with disabilities, Government was empowering them and unlocking their potentials like any other citizens of the country.
The Deputy Minister was speaking in Lusaka Thursday when he officially opened a two-day Disability Consultative Forum on the draft Constitution hosted by the Zambia Federation of Disability Organisations (ZAFOD).
He noted that the constitution contains articles and clauses that were disability friendly which he said indicated the priority attached to addressing issues that concern the disabled in the country.
He added that Government would ensure that people with disabilities have equal privileges with other citizens hence the inclusion in the draft Constitution Making process.
He urged participants to carefully deliberate the draft constitution and improve on what the NCC had already started for them.
And speaking earlier, ZAFOD President John Miyato appealed to people living with disabilities to take keen interest in reading the draft constitution and provide useful comments to the NCC to enhance the quality of the Zambian constitution.
Mr. Miyato noted that the consultative forum was one such platform people living with disabilities would use to analyse disability related issues that have been reflected in the document and make proposals on what they felt which would finally reflect in the republican constitution.
He said the federation would use the three days left out of the 40 days period given to study the document and make submissions to the NCC.
Meanwhile, Programme Director for Disability/HIV/AIDS and human rights Elijah Ngwale called for dialogue between Government and people with disabilities.
Mr. Ngwale said it was only through dialogue that the country could come up with the constitution to stand a test of time.