Social Inclusion

The Seychelles signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (CRPD), on the 30th of March 2007 and ratified it on the 2nd of October 2009. Since then, the Seychelles has not incorporated the CRPD in its national legislation, for instance as a standalone Act. Although in Seychelles, efforts have been made to introduce policies which are consistent with the CRPD. For instance, the National Strategic Framework for Disability attempts to promote inclusivity and provide support the persons with disabilities and their families through appropriate programmes. However, more needs to be done to ensure the introduction of a Bill before the National Assembly in Seychelles. It is crucial to highlight that the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Human Rights Unit in their assessment report revealed that there has been no attempt to domesticate the CRPD in the Seychelles and there is no distinct or comprehensive legislation on disability, and disability is not dealt with in a systematic way in other legislation in the country.

In an ever-growing quest for gender equality, it is quite common for scholars and researchers to overlook regional and sub-regional systems while prioritizing global institutions, particularly the United Nations, its specialized agencies, and other international human rights mechanisms. The limited attention given to regional bodies stems from their perceived lack of influence in implementing meaningful reforms compared to global institutions. Unbeknownst to many, regional systems, despite their marginalization, have developed contextually relevant, progressive policy documents and delivered consequential legal judgments on women's rights. However, as is the case with many international, regional or sub-regional organizations, the perennial challenges remain the translation of the policies and enforcing the far-reaching judgements on women’s rights. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) embodies this paradox.