NCD receives braille copies of Sexual Offences Act from UNICEF

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) – Guyana, on Tuesday presented the National Commission on Disability (NCD) with 98 copies of the Sexual Offences Act reproduced in braille.

UNICEF said that the handover was part of a continuing initiative to ensure that all children, including those with disabilities, have access to important laws in an effort to educate them about their rights.
Acting UNICEF Representative to Guyana and Suriname, Irfan Akhtar made the presentation to Executive Secretary of the NCD, Beverly Pile, at the Commission’s Croal Street, Georgetown office. Also present were UNICEF Education Specialist Audrey Michele Rodrigues and NCD Programme Officer Sondra Davidson Low.
“We in UNICEF are convinced that a country’s human resources can only be advanced if there is equity, inclusion, respect and active participation of all persons. We are pleased to have had the opportunity to make possible the translation of the Sexual Offences Act in braille,” said Akhtar.
“This gesture is one significant way of supporting the NCD’s goal to promote a society where persons with disabilities know their rights and are able to lead full and productive lives,” he added.
UNICEF had previously supported the translation of key legislation including the Sexual Offences Act (2010), the Protection of Children Act (2009) and the Trafficking in Persons Act (2005) into user-friendly language, which was then reproduced in braille. The copies handed over on Tuesday will be distributed to relevant groups around the country.
UNICEF continues to support initiatives that enable youth and vulnerable groups to know their rights.