The Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Milan Antonijević, participated in the panel “Enjoyment of the Right of Persons with Disabilities to Legal Capacity and Effective Protection from Discrimination, Violence and Abuse,” held within the framework of the social dialogue “Guaranteed Rights and the Real Life of Persons with Disabilities,” organized by the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue.

The Commissioner emphasized that the realization of the right to work is crucial for the enjoyment of other rights as well, as well as for reducing the risk of poverty and exclusion. He stated that, although there is a range of regulations governing the position of persons with disabilities, the fact remains that they face greater difficulties in finding employment despite all existing measures, while the results of the implementation of the employment obligation remain unknown.

He recalled that the institution of the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality recently submitted to the National Assembly a Special Report on discrimination against persons with disabilities, which outlines the most significant challenges faced by this group, with insufficient accessibility still standing out as the greatest problem.

He stressed that solving problems often does not require large financial investments, but rather their recognition and the goodwill to address them. We must not forget that persons with disabilities do not have any special needs, but meet their needs in a different way, the Commissioner emphasized.