Using the Section 36 Procedure

23. Publicize the filing of Section 36 applications

Persons with disabilities can file Section 36 applications privately. Indeed, the Persons with Disabilities Rights and Protection Act, 2013 (DRPA) itself recognizes a right to privacy for their personal information. At the same time, because in many districts the committee members may lack experience with the Section 36 procedure, there is a possibility that committees may be reluctant to act or may act slowly without publicizing the filing of applications.  

The experience of USAID’s EPD program is that arranging public filing ceremonies may in certain cases be an effective advocacy strategy. If DPOs can arrange for media outlets to cover the filing of Section 36 applications, then it will be more difficult for district committees to ignore their duty to resolve these complaints. Also, if the applicants file in the presence of committee members, then the members may be more sympathetic to the applicant’s claims and motivated to resolve the complaint swiftly.

Additional Links: USAID Bangladesh • BlueLaw International

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This domain was previously home to a joint report by NGDO, NCDW, and BLAST entitled “Current Status of Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Bangladesh: Legal and Grassroots Perspectives 2015,” produced with funding from the Disability Rights Fund. It is now available here.