Hiring people with disabilities is good business – but it is also a matter of rights

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The Peruvian Business and Disability Network and the Government of Peru are discussing the advantages of hiring people with disabilities. They agree that it is not only a matter of social responsibility or assistance, but also a matter of social justice and rights.

“It is a victory for the company, for it increases its productivity. But it is, above all, a victory for people with disabilities and for society as a whole, as it promotes rights, social justice and equity,” Roberto Villamil stated. He is an expert at the ILO’s Bureau for Employers’ Activities (ACTEMP) and spoke at the last meeting of the Peruvian Business and Disability Network.

There are almost a million people of working age with disabilities in Peru. However, they still live in a gloomy world: the unemployment rate among them is three times higher than the average in the country.

Some organizations in Peru are working to improve this situation and are committed to making decent and productive work for people with disabilities a reality. They come together in the Peruvian Business and Disability Network, which has benefitted from ILO technical assistance ever since it was founded.

In Peru, the ILO is promoting disability inclusion policies in the workplace through the Joint Program on Employment and Disability (in Spanish). This initiative was launched by the United Nations system, together with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The UN system and the Government of Peru are implementing this Joint Program in the districts of Lince, Miraflores, San Juan de Miraflores, San Martín de Porres and Villa El Salvador.

This Joint Program is strengthening the capacity of these municipalities to promote disability employment in their districts. In order to achieve this goal, the program used a management model that allows strengthening the relationships between the local government, companies interested in hiring people with disabilities and job seekers.