TCHAD
Authors: Tengho Serge Marcellin 
Published: July 2022

According to the results of the General Census of Population conducted in 2009 (2018 projection), the Chadian population is 15, 1 million. According to the report of the National Union of Persons with Disabilities of 2014, Persons with disabilities are 1 691 116, that is 14% of the total population; the most prevalent forms of disabilities include sensory disabilities, motor disabilities and visual disabilities. The Republic of Chad signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), as well as its Optional protocol on 26 September, 2012. The CRDP was ratified 20 June 2019 by the Chadian government. The Optional Protocol was adopted at the National Assembly 26 September, 2012. The Constitution of the Republic of Chad contains no provision dealing directly with disabilities. The term disability does not openly appear in the Constitution. Nevertheless, the Constitution provides for the right to equality for all, including persons with disabilities. The rights to employment, education, ect, for all are also guaranteed by the preamble of the Constitution. The Republic of Chad has numerous pieces of legislation that directly address disability. The key ones are the Law n°007/PR/2007, of 7 May 2007 on the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities, which has not yet been ratified; the decree 136/PR/PM/MCFAS/94 of 16 June 1994 that instituted the National Day of Persons with Disability celebrated on 7 February every year. The policies that directly address persons with disabilities are: (1) the national policy and its action plan; (2) the national policy of social welfare and its action plan; and (3) the national strategy on the protection of vulnerable children and the national policy on protection of children as well as its action plan including programmes affecting directly people with disabilities. Other than ordinary courts or tribunals, the Chad Republic has no official body that specifically addresses the violation of the rights of people with disabilities. The Republic of Chad has had a National Human Rights Commission since 9 September 1994. It is autonomous, neutral and endowed with a legal entity. It enjoys administrative, technical and financial autonomy and independence of action. The Republic of Chad also has a Human Rights Federation which organises actions on the promotion and protection of persons with disabilities. There are numerous organisations that represent and advocate for the rights and welfare of persons with disabilities in the Republic of Chad, represented by Maison Notre Dame de Paix de Moundou Association, the Kabalaye Equipment and Rehabilitation Centre of N’djamena, and Handicap Santé which is an NGO. In the Republic of Chad, the Ministry of National Education and Higher Education; the Ministry of Social Work, National Solidarity and the Family; the Ministry of Human Rights and the Promotion of Freedoms; the Ministry of Women, Early Childhood Protection and National Solidarity are ministers that are involved in promoting and protecting disability rights. Persons with disabilities in the Republic of Chad face many problems such as the lack of doctors specialised in re-education and rehabilitation. Where access is concerned, persons with disabilities have difficulties to access to public buildings, public transport, education, vocational training, health care, employment justice and other social structures; in practice, very little is done to ensure access for persons with disabilities. The Chadian Government shall strengthen and speed up the implementation of its national policies and programmes for the implementation of disability rights.