1 million disabled live in precarious conditions in Algeria

More than a million handicapped are living in extreme precarious conditions with a pension that doesn’t exceed 4000 Algerian Dinars per month. This situation pushed many to beg in the streets while others committed suicides.

• This category was put in the margin and didn’t benefit from any pension rise since years.

• A recent report released by the ministry of Solidarity has revealed that the number of disabled is nearly a million people including 128407 physically handicapped, 73937 deaf-and- dumb, 173362 blind and 167331 mentally handicapped.

• Several associations and human rights activist have denounced this situation and summoned the authorities to foster the living conditions of the handicapped in Algeria. Bouzara Ahmed, the head of the Association of the disabled “ Etehadi”, has in this respect, criticized the laxity of the authorities and the precarious conditions in which a million handicapped are living.

• He called on them to issue laws that enable the disabled beneficiaries from houses not to pay the rents on account of their insignificant pensions that do not exceed 4000 AD “ How can a man whose family members are disabled afford to pay the rent while he cannot even feed them ?” , he said.

• M Hamza has indicated that the pension allocated to this social category should be increased to reach 12000 Algerian Dinars instead of 4000 AD , slashing at the national companies that didn’t abide by the law that oblige them to employ 1% of disabled among the recruits.

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