ANNEX 3Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities in Community Activities 2018Inception Report1. General Information

Name of Country: Republic of ColombiaArea (sq. km): 1,141,748 km2Life expectancy: Life expectancy has been increasing, from 10.28 in 2000, to 75.9 years in 2017 (1).The following graph shows the life expectancy by gender from 1190 to 2017 (2).

Infant mortality rate: Infant mortality rate is the number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in the same year. The mortality trend in the under-5 and under-1 age groups has been decreasing since 1990 (2). In 2017 in Colombia it is 13.6 (3).

Maternal mortality rate: The maternal mortality rate is the annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management (excluding accidental or incidental causes). It includes deaths during pregnancy, childbirth, or within 42 days of termination of

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For only accepted candidates

pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, for a specified year. For 2015, the maternal mortality rate in Colombia was 64 (4).

Literacy rate: Describes those of age 15 and over who can read and write. In Colombia in 2015 it was of 94.2% (5). This rate has increased since 2015 according to the National Department of Statistics (6).

Population: The following chart (7)describes the age and gender of population in Colombia.

The following graphic describes the number of people living in the different regions; there is more population in the region Andina, Caribe, Pacifica; and less in Orinoquía, Amazónica, and Insular (6).

Authorities began measuring poverty in 2002 and have since diminished the national poverty rate with 3.1% per year from 49.6% to 29.9% in 2017.

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“The 2018 World Inequality Report said Colombia’s extreme inequality has decreased over the past decade, but continues to be “stubbornly high.” According to the Word Bank, Colombia’s top 10% earners received 40% of the wealth that was generated in 2017” (8).

Most of the poverty registered in in 2017 was in Colombia’s countryside, where more than one third of the people live below the country’s poverty line (9, 10).

Education System: Colombia has an educational system with private and public institutions. Particularly in Antioquia there where 1126 public schools and 810 private schools (11). Persons with disabilities are less likely to complete primary, secondary and tertiary education than persons without disabilities (12).

Health System: There are 3,620 hospitals and clinics in Colombia. Approximately 75% of hospitals are public and 25% are private. As the following graph shows, the healthcare access and quality index has been increasing since 1990 (2).

Major Industry: “The post-conflict reconstruction efforts could provide a boost to confidence, and support growth through increased investments, particularly in the agriculture and energy sectors. It would however also put additional pressures on spending, making continued fiscal consolidation efforts necessary” (13). The following graph portrays the Colombia GDP by sector in 2017.

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Employment rate: For 2018, the unemployment rate in Colombia was 9,1%

2. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Laws concerned with persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: The Convention on the rights of children that states the no discrimination of children with disabilities and the equality on rights this population has. (14) Colombia ratified and signed the United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities; This convention states that people with disabilities have equal rights and aims to “promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity”. The convention protects and promotes the rights of those with physical, mental, intellectual or sensory disabilities (15). The Political constitution of Colombia demands to respect the human dignity of all human beings, and states that all Colombians should have access to appropriate and quality education (16).

Colombia establishes the Law 1752 of 2015 what penalise the discrimination against people with disabilities. The Law 1482 of 2011 penalised the discrimination because of the race, ethnic, religion, nationality, political or philosophic ideology, gender or sexual orientation, but originally it did not include the disability. The Law 1752 of 2015 added people with disabilities which enjoy the same legal protection as other communities, therefore the discrimination against them can be penalised.  

Additionally, there were adding the definitions of reasonable adjustments and universal design of the Law 1618 of 2013, which is the most develop colombian norm by the CRPD. It is necessary to highlight that these concepts have not been external to the colombian legal system, in contrast they are directly related

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to the equality order and the affirmative actions development integrated by the Political Constitution of Colombia of 1991.

The law 1145 promotes the creation of coordination procedures among the national and local public entities, organisations that work with disabled people and civil society. It establishes and guarantees their essential rights in the framework of Human Rights.

The law 361 establishes measures to promote the social inclusion for people with disabilities related to prevention, rehabilitation, social welfare, labor integration and accessibility.

In addition, the law 1098 of 2016 adopted the Infant and Adolescent Code in which the rights of under age people are developed in the country. Especially for children with disabilities, the Code established that they have the right to enjoy a plenty quality of life and they should be guaranteed with enough conditions from the government to live self-sufficient lives and be included in the society.

Furthermore, the country has a National Policy of Disability and Social Inclusion adopted in 2013 through the document CONPES 166 which was built in a participative form with people with disabilities, their families and organizations focus on this issue.  

The Decree 1421 of 2017 has the fundamental objective to regulate the provision of educative service, permanency and quality for the population with disabilities since the beginning. Due to children can study from kindergarten until university or laboral education and human development.

Currently, the Republic Congress is discussing the law project about the legal capacity according to the recommendations of the CRCD and probably this law will be adopted by the Congress in 2019, this is a significant advance in the dignity and respect to the autonomy of people with intellectual disabilities.

The legal capacity unacknowledged is the main issue about the difficulties that disabled people face for their rights enjoy. In Colombia, there is still working a normative system that allows substitute actions of their ability, in contradiction to what Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) establishes.

It is necessary to implement a support model to make decisions that can be respectful of human rights of population with disabilities. Moreover, it is a responsibility to the government to reform and abolish the Law 1306 of 2009 and replace it for a coherent normative framework and consistent with the international standards of humans rights.

It is also necessary to eradicate the discriminatory stereotypes that are still being used in the cultural and normative level. These stereotypes justify practices such as non consent sterilization of people with mental and intellectual disabilities.   5/10

Financial Assistance for persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: There is an economic subsidy for those with disabilities, but it is not specifically for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Services including CBR available for persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (PWIDD): The government and the private sector have made efforts to create a more inclusive society. There are different services for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as subsidies, recreational programs, health care evaluations and some programs for education.

Number of services and those beneficiaries in each district: This information is not available.

3. Outline of your organization

Background, vision, strategy:

a) All of services from El Comité de Rehabilitación are provided based on the rights of people with disabilities, focusing on their individual and environmental needs and with the ICF model as our guideline. We provide services to:

● Improve independence and autonomy for activities of daily living.

● Promote the entry, permanence, and promotion into educational programs.

● Evaluate and develop their occupational skills.

● Provide assistive technologies and related services.

Major programs, covered areas, covered population, number of beneficiaries:

● Habilitation: For children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (350 monthly beneficiaries)

● Rehabilitation: For children and adults with physical disabilities. The services are: stimulation (200 monthly beneficiaries), autonomy in activities of daily living (20 monthly beneficiaries), and care for children with complex rehab needs. We also provide assistive technologies and their related services for people with disabilities (20 monthly beneficiaries).

b) The mission of the Victims Unit is to lead state and society’s actions to assist and comprehensively repair the victims in Colombia, in order to promote social inclusion process and peace. As a partner organization of

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JICA Project “For social inclusion of conflict victims with disabilities”, we are currently developing a national strategy paper to include persons with disabilities into society. The Differential Approach Group works for victims who are particularly vulnerable due to age (children, elderlies), disability, gender, race and sexual orientation. They generate the conceptual and technical guidelines on these groups to be fully included in Colombian communities.

Your position and duty:

a) In my current position, I coordinate the assistive technology services; we evaluate the user’s needs and their environment in order to deliver the most appropriate products (both high-end technology and low-end technology) so they can better engage in all social activities.

b) My main duty is to lead/manage the differential approach group, the group who is working for victims especially women, people with disabilities, minorities, children, elderlies, etc. in community to promote their social inclusion.

● To apply national and international policies on vulnerable groups such as disabilities, gender, children and minorities into action and developed guidelines to provide them assistance and comprehensive reparation

● To coordinate and provide technical assistance to other ministries and local government for promoting dialogue with victims, women and disabled people communities among others.

● To directly advise the General Director of the Victims Unit about these groups

● To Collaborate with JICA Project experts for developing strategies about empowerment for victims with disabilities

4. Community Development program which include Intellectual Disability issues as one of the activities. (If you know any)

There are some art, vocational and recreational programs to include those with intellectual disabilities. These services are paid for by the welfare system or out of pocket.

5. Situation of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities

Diagnosis: A physician is in charge of the diagnosis

Education: There are some Special Education schools but also some institutions doing Integrated Education

Vocational training and Job Opportunity: There are some vocational training opportunities but most are disconnected and the offer is not enough to cover the

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demand.

The Productivity Pact Program is an initiative executed by the Corona Foundation, and has as partners the IDB Inter-American Development Bank, the Foundación Saldarriaga Concha, the Presidential Agency for International Cooperation of Colombia APC, the National Service for Learning SENA, the Ministry of Work and four Welfare Funds: Cafam, Comfenalco, Comfandi and Comfamiliar. The Program has the participation of the most important business and industrial associations in the country, such as the National Association of Entrepreneurs ANDI, the National Federation of Merchants FENALCO, the Colombian Confederation of Chambers of Commerce COMFECAMARAS and the Colombian Association of Medium and Small Industries ACOPI, as well as the Global Compact Network Colombia. The Program was organized into four components: Mobilization of the business sector, strengthening of institutions for labor inclusion, training for work and articulation and political advocacy.

Support Organizations: a) Governmental agencies:Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Ministry of EducationThe Ministry of InteriorNational Council on Disability National Disability SystemUnit for VictimsThe Colombian Institute Walfare ICBF

b) Number of NGOs concerned with Persons with Intellectual Disabilities: There are no statistics related to the number of NGOs working with this population (18).

6. Based on the information above, what are the issues to solve to conduct effective supports for persons with Intellectual Disabilities?

The Colombian government should improve the actions that allow people with disabilities to live self-sufficient lives and have enough support to be able to accomplish their life projections and being included in the community. The government have progressed in particular actions to the quality of life improvement of disabled people, but this has not necessarily impacted the opportunity to develop an autonomous life and free of violence.

Colombia should progress in the recognition of the rights to live in community for people with disabilities as an autonomous and required right which cannot be understood as the consequence to the access to another ones, but it demands specific actions and strategies. For this, the government should guarantee the provision of personal assistance services and care on specific cases, but overall the social inclusion should be ensured as fundamental value. These services have to be integrated to the General System of Social Security and must be complemented with community actions and social support. 8/10

Moreover, access to affordable and quality assistive products is a precondition to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and leave no one behind. States should ensure that assistive products are available and affordable for persons with disabilities (12). Currently in Colombia, there is a lack of assistive products to support the inclusion of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and a lack of properly trained personnel.

It is essential to advance in the respond to the attention needs in mental health because of the Colombian armed conflict, due to it is necessary to observe available information sources and go deep as the diagnosis about this situation as the identification of barriers that face victims of the conflict with mental disabilities, and to incorporate effective strategies of approach, attention and rehabilitation as a part of the integral reparation.

There are many victims with intellectual/developmental disabilities in Colombia still excluded, marginalized or invisible for policy makers. The Unit for Victims, as the national leading institution that coordinates Ministries and provide assistance to violence victims, needs more knowledge and specific tools on children/people with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Since 2011, we have started a program on psychosocial damages, but this is not designed for victims with intellectual disabilities. The Ministry of Health has some rehabilitation/medical services for them but there is no specific policies, budget and programs on services focusing on social inclusion.

Therefore, the policy, experience and activities in Japan on intellectual disabilities would be great lessons for the Colombian government to start thinking about how we can use our resource to empower/support them and develop inclusive policies. In addition, the situation of rural areas in Colombia is rather similar situation to the rural area in Cambodia, including the existence of landmine victim with disabilities. Therefore, the facilitation skills and method of awareness raising on disability in the context of Cambodia will be a perfect example to replicate it in the context of Colombia.

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Bibliography

1. Indexmundi. Historical Data Graphs per Year 2017 [Available from: https://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=co&v=30.2. IHME. 2017 [Available from: http://www.healthdata.org/colombia.3. Indexmundi. Infant mortality rate 2017 [Available from: https://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=co&v=29.4. Indexmundi. Maternal mortality rate 2015 [Available from: https://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=co&v=2223.5. Indexmundi. Literacy rate 2018 [Available from: https://www.indexmundi.com/colombia/literacy.html.6. Información estádistica de Colombia [Internet]. 2018. Available from: www.dane.gov.co.7. Indexmundi. Population 2016 [Available from: https://www.indexmundi.com/colombia/age_structure.html.8. Colombia reports. Colombia poverty inequality statistics 2017 [Available from: https://data.colombiareports.com/colombia-poverty-inequality-statistics/.9. The World Bank. Colombia: Winning the War on Poverty and Inequality Despite the Odds. 2016.10. The world Bank. Poverty headcount ratio 2016 [Available from: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.DDAY?end=2017&locations=CO&start=2002&view=chart.11. Colegios por Colombia. Colegios por departamento y ciudad 2014 [Available from: https://www.colegioscolombia.com/colegiosporciudad.php.12. United Nations. Realization of the sustainable developmet goals by, for and with persons with disabilities. 2018.13. The world Bank. The World Bank In Colombia. 2018.14. United nations. Convention on the Rights of the Child. 1989.15. United Nations. Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and optional protocol. New York, NY: United Nations; 2006.16. Asamblea Nacional Constituyente. Constitución Política de Colombia. 1991.17. Republica de Colombia. Ley 1618. 2013.18. Federación Antioqueña de ONGs. Mesa discapacidad 2012 [Available from: http://www.faong.org/mesadetrabajo/mesa-de-discapacidad/.

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