‘Disability law misused by working parents in Kingdom’

Manama : Many working parents in the Kingdom are exploiting the law allowing them to get a paid break to take care of their children, by claiming additional disabilities, reveals an activist from Bahrain.

“The Article 5 of Law 59 of 2014 regarding caring, rehabilitating and employing people with disabilities, which allows those taking care of disabled to take a two hour paid break during work timings is being misused by parents with disabled children,” said disability activist Mahmood Al Haiki.

This fraudulent practice would negatively affect a  few who would need extra help and consideration, especially those who are mentally disabled, according to Al Haiki. 

“Parents persuade their disabled children to lie during their visits to the doctor to sway the report to indicate that their children require additional help at home,” he said adding that the parents ask the child to ‘lie and pretend’ in front of doctors. 

He says that he has personally witnessed many such cases.

“The law is slowly being implemented and it is already being misused by many. In most of the cases, the disabled child would not have any severe disability that requires additional help. The parents ask them to tell a lie and in some cases even ask them to pretend to be in pain or discomfort in order to ensure that the report is in their favour. “

“In reality these children are old enough to take care of themselves and are able enough to do so. Parents coming home two hours earlier makes no difference to them. The parents are doing this for a selfish motive, to enjoy the extra free time,” says Al Haiki, who himself is disabled.

He said that many disabled people shared with him that they were coerced in such a manner. 

“ Many people at the Bahrain Mobility International Center told me that they were forced to tell a lie by their parents during the doctors visit. Parents are seeing this as a golden opportunity to get two hours off from work,” he said. 

“The society still does not understand us. We are able to do everything like anyone else and have no problem in integrating with the society. We have jobs and we are a part of the society that is productive and contributes to the development of the nation,” he said. 

“It should be ensured that only those who fully deserve it gets the extra help from the government. Eventhough the law is in the initial stages, it must be ensured that it is being implemented in a more efficient way,” he concluded.