AANES holds conference for people with special needs in Syria’s Manbij
MANBIJ, Syria (north Press) – TheAutonomousAdministration of North and East Syria (AANES) held, on Monday, the first conference for people with special needs in the city of Manbij, northern Syria.
The conference was held in the Legislative Council hall of the Civil Administration building in the center of Manbij, under the sponsorship of the Social Affairs and Labor Board, affiliated to the AANES, entitled “We Create Hope with Our Will”.
The conference was attended by a delegation from the AANES, the Social Affairs and Labor Board, representatives from the Civil Administration in Manbij, and members of the Social Affairs and Labor Committee in Manbij. In addition, significant number of individuals with special needs from various cities, including Manbij, Kobani, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, Hasakah, and Qamishli, attended the conference.
“The significance of this conference lies in its role as the cornerstone and the first step in establishing a specific law for people with disabilities within the social contract of the AANES”, Sami Fattah, 36, an individual with special needs and a member of the conference, stated.
He added that they demanded a genuine representation for people with disabilities in the Legislative Council in North and East Syria to advocate for their rights, and there should be a great importance attached to this conference for people with disabilities in achieving the reality that all individuals with special needs aspire to.
Fattah expressed his hope that the outcomes of this conference will be practically implemented on the ground.
“Our expectations for this conference are very high, especially that it is the first conference held in North and East Syria for a marginalized group in society”, Gulnaz Ibrahim, 39, an individual with special needs from Qamishli and a participant in the conference, told North Press.
She added that there are Bureaus for individuals with special needs in the AANES, but they have called for the activation of these bureaus for them to become more suitable to the needs of disabled individuals, with services that should be appropriate for each person according to their specific needs.
Ibrahim considered this conference to be of great significance to them because it targets the issues of individuals who have been marginalized in society. They hope that through this conference, they can be positively integrated into society according to their needs, as this group has been growing due to the wars that have been ongoing in Syria for the past 12 years.
“Today, the first conference for people with special needs was held under the sponsorship of the Social Affairs and Labor Board in North and East Syria. It lasted for a full day and covered several topics related to all aspects that concern disabled individuals and aspects related to their services”, Asmaa Ramo, Co-chair of the Social Affairs and Labor Board in Manbij, said.
She added that the discussion covered all aspects related to individuals with special needs within society, and the conference is expected to result several specific outcomes to support and rehabilitate this group and integrate them into society.
“This conference is the first of its kind, and it was organized for several reasons, including supporting individuals with special needs, assisting them in becoming self-reliant, providing them with psychological and moral support for their integration into society”, Hamdan al-Abed, representative of the AANES, stated.
Al-Abed explained that the AANES has given a significant attention to the individuals with special needs through the Social Affairs and Labor Board. He emphasized the importance of direct attention to this group, considering it a humanitarian and ethical duty.