Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2024, published 113rd ILC session (2025)

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159) - Tajikistan (Ratification: 1993)

Articles 2 and 7 of the Convention. Integration of persons with disabilities in the open labour market. In relation to the sanctions that apply if employers do not meet the mandatory quota of employees with disability, the Government informs that an illegal refusal by an employer to hire persons with disabilities within the established quota shall entail the imposition of a fine. With regard to the implementation of the Law on the Social Protection of Citizens Affected by the Disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the Law on Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities, the Committee notes that according to the latter, rehabilitation is based on the State Service of Medical and Social Assessment is based on the procedure for determining the ability to work, temporary and long-term disability, the disability group and duration and timing of re-examination. The Government further indicates that under the Government Resolution on the State Employment Promotion Programme for 2020–22 which is aimed at creating conditions of employment for vulnerable groups, 230 persons with disabilities, including 78 women found employment in 2022. However, the Committee notes that the Government has not provided information on the manner in which the Convention is applied in practice, including in particular, statistical information disaggregated by age, sex and the nature of the disability. The Committee therefore reiterates its request to provide information on: (i) the results achieved with regard to the integration of persons with disabilities in the open labour market through the Law on the Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities and the Law on the Social Protection of Citizens Affected by the Disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and, (ii) the manner in which the Convention is applied in practice, including, in particular, statistics disaggregated as much as possible by age, sex and the nature of the disability, extracts from reports, studies and inquiries on the matters covered by the Convention.

Article 5.Consultation of the social partners. In response to its previous comment, the Committee notes the signing of a General Agreement between the Government, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Tajikistan and the Employer’s Association of the Republic of Tajikistan in order to: (1) monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Employment Promotion Programme for 2020–22 for persons with disabilities, (2) study and prepare proposals for the introduction of state social benefits and guarantees for healthcare workers in contact with infectious diseases and working with persons with disabilities, and (3) support children with diabetes and children with disabilities, including their cost of trips to children’s camps. The Committee also notes that the Chair of the National Association of Persons with Disabilities is a member of the Commission of the Employer’s Association in the Tripartite Commission on Regulation of Social and Labour Relations in the Republic of Tajikistan and is duly consulted on all matters relating to labour. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated information indicating how the above-mentioned general agreement has been implemented, providing a copy thereof, the consultations held thereunder and the manner in which the social partners contributed to its monitoring and evaluation.

Article 8. Services in rural areas and remote communities. The Government reports that since 2009, it has established a mechanism for purchasing services from NGOs for providing social services to day-care centres for children with disabilities in place of residential institutions. Concerning the impact of the measures taken for the development of vocational rehabilitation and employment services for persons with disabilities, the Government indicates that currently more than 68 departments and sectors of labour and employment and 34 adult education branches are working on vocational rehabilitation and employment of people with disabilities in rural areas where rehabilitation, training and retraining is provided to the persons with disabilities. As of 2022, 230 persons with disabilities have been provided with these services. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed and disaggregated data by sex, age, nature of disability and region on the impact of the centres for the training and rehabilitation services provided to persons with disabilities, as well as the long-term employment opportunities available to them after undertaking the training.

Article 9. Training of suitably qualified staff. The Government reports that as of 2016 it has adopted the National Programme for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities for 2017–20 and the Plan for implementing the same focussed on women and girls with disabilities. In addition, the Government has also enacted the State Programme Accessible Environment for 2021–25 and the Action Plan for its implementation to develop social support for persons with disabilities and to create equitable opportunities for them. The Committee welcomes that this programme has been launched in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support civil society in establishing the Coordination Council on disabilities issues under the Parliament of Tajikistan which also seeks to provide free legal aid to persons with disabilities. The Committee requests the Government to provide information about the number of persons with disabilities, disaggregated by age, sex and nature of disability, being provided benefits under the programme and the nature of specific measures adopted to improve their access to the labour market. The Committee further requests the Government to provide information about the training and availability of rehabilitation counsellors and other suitably qualified staff who are responsible for providing vocational training, placement and employment of disabled persons under the National Programme for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities.

In particular, the Committee notes with interest that the Ministry of Education and Science, has collaborated with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) by opening inclusive offices for children with disabilities at the National Institute of Advanced Training and Retraining of Education Workers and its branches. The Government also reports continuous collaboration with UNICEF, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and UNDP since 2017 along with representatives of organizations of persons with disabilities to raise awareness about disabilities at all levels of the society and to provide technical assistance. The Committee refers in this respect to paragraph 42 of the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Recommendation, 1983 (No. 168) which recommends Member States to coordinate these policies and programmes with other programmes for social and economic development particularly adapting the methods and organisation of work to the needs of the individual and the improvement of working conditions. The Committee further observes that the Ministry of Labour, Migration and Employment has created the Special Vocational Lyceum for Persons with Disabilities with its branches where persons with disabilities are provided primary vocational education in various specialities. It welcomes that the institution has piloted the Tajik Sign Language programme in cooperation with the Country Office of the Institute for International Cooperation of the German Association of Adult Education. The Committee requests the Government to provide disaggregated statistical data and other relevant information about the participants, indicating their age, sex, nature of disability and specialties under the vocational education programme.

In addition, the Committee notes the information provided by the Government that the Ministry of Education and Science, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, is gradually introducing subordinate social institutions, developing social services at the day care centres for children with disabilities and providing psychological, medical and pedagogical consultations across Sughd and Khatlon regions for social workers and pedagogical specialists in various child development disorders. The Committee requests the Government to provide further information about the number and nature of social institutions being introduced and their expansion to the rural and remote regions of the country. The Committee further requests the Government to provide information as regards the number of social workers and specialists engaged in such institutions, the nature of training being provided to them, and future prospects of the day care centres for children with disabilities in the remote and rural regions of the country, as well as statistical information disaggregated by age, sex and nature of disability, about the children with disabilities being provided support at the day care centres.