The Minister of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare acting, Maria Luisa Carcedo, Carcedo, has moved "the clear commitment of the Government for social justice" at the award ceremony of the National Awards Fundación Alares 2019.
Carcedo has acknowledged that, "despite what we have advanced, we still have a lot to do to ensure that people with disabilities enjoy exactly the same opportunities as the rest of their fellow citizens and can thus develop an autonomous life."
The minister recalled that people with disabilities still have an activity rate more than 40 points lower than that of people without disabilities. Also the unemployment rate is almost 10 points higher in people with disabilities and the employment rate almost 40 points lower.
"This lack of job opportunities has consequences on their quality of life," said Carcedo. According to him National Institute of Statistics (INE) , the salary of people with disabilities is almost 20% lower than that of people without disabilities: about 4,000 euros less per year.
"In the families with low income disabilities occur in a proportion three times higher than that of families with greater purchasing power", has moved the minister. Among other reasons because families with less purchasing power live in less healthy environmental conditions and their members are exposed to a higher risk of contracting diseases or accidents. "In addition, they can devote less resources to prevention and / or rehabilitation," said Carcedo.
"All together we must break this circle and strengthen the equality of rights and full inclusion of people with disabilities," said the minister.
At this point, María Luisa Carcedo has recount the initiatives taken by the Government in the last term, "in which we have advanced a lot." Among others, Reform of the electoral law to return the right of suffrage to almost 100,000 people deprived of him because of disability, or work to reform article 49 of the Constitution "with the ultimate goal of ending the unjust stigmatization of the person with disability and strengthen the protection of Your rights".
The minister also recalled that, before the electoral convocation, the Council of Ministers informed of the Preliminary draft reform of civil and procedural legislation. "This Draft, which will be recovered in the next term progresses towards respect for the will and preferences of people with disabilities who, as a general rule, will be responsible for making their own decisions."
"These and other measures that the Government adopted in the last legislature on disability issues, and more generally, on labor and social issues, demonstrate a clear commitment of the Government of President Sánchez for social justice," concluded Carcedo.