1.2 million Peruvians with disabilities are in poverty

Peru has a little more than three million inhabitants with disabilities, and of that universe, 40% -approximately 1.2 million citizens- are submerged in some type of poverty, reported from the National Council for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities (Conadis).

The poverty that covers almost a tenth of the population with disabilities should not be understood only as the mere absence of money, but as a set of deprivations that limit their development in society, he pointed out. luzmari vargasrepresentative of the Department of Policies and Investigations of the Conadis.

“The dimensions covered are health, education, internet access, housing, employment and pensions. A person with a disability is not poor just because they do not have a certain monetary income.he pointed out to La República after the publication of the report “Situation of multidimensional poverty in people with disabilities in the country: analysis from an intersectional approach”, whose cut-off is 2021.

How steep are the gaps?

The main deprivation of Peruvians with disabilities is access to education (72.9%) and Internet use (55.4%). The deficiencies in social security (62.0%), housing materials (56.9%) and basic services such as energy (41.9%) also stand out.

In addition, of the total number of compatriots with disabilities, 82.9% reside in rural areas, 63.7% live in the mountains or the jungle, and by population subgroups, 59.4% are indigenous or Afro-descendant.

Conadis warns that in rural areas the most important disadvantages of people with disabilities -compared to those without disabilities- are housing materials (90.1%), education (88.1%) and access and use of the Internet (80, 8%).

Precariousness and lower income

Although Conadis throws data to the bicentennial – they expect the MEF to release the budget to carry out a new reading -, from the Ministry of Labor and Employment Promotion (MTPE) they detailed that one million 174,000 people with disabilities are of working age.

Of that handful, 42 out of every 100 citizens found a job. Although it is 6.5% higher than what was seen in 2020, it is 1.2% lower than the pre-pandemic level. The most demanded sectors are agriculture, sales, services and handicrafts.

However, apart from the sociocultural gaps that people with disabilities suffer, their entry into the labor market does not guarantee an adequate remuneration: the underemployment rate is 67.3%, more than 20 percentage points than in those without disabilities (46, 8%); therefore, they are more likely to work fewer than 35 hours per week and be paid less than the baseline minimum.

The MTPE specifies that 87% of Peruvians with disabilities work informallyalmost 10 percentage points more than those without disabilities and, therefore, their incomes are also very differentiated: S/841 earns on average for a person with disabilities compared to S/1,341 for those without disabilities.

diversify solutions

Vargas maintains that the key to closing the gaps is education and labor inclusion, and for this it is necessary for the Government to intensify its actions and offer opportunities to those compatriots with disabilities in the creation of businesses, since they usually do not usually finish school and that is why they do not have the profiles to fit into a job.

In his opinion, the lack of comprehensive education feeds prejudice and creates barriers that do not allow Peruvians with disabilities to exploit their full potential.

It also states that not only the disabled person should be helped, but also their homes, since sometimes they depend on a family member to carry out some activities.

“People with disabilities are autonomous, but require support. Those (who help) also need access to work to exercise their caregiving role. You have to take care of the environment. It is a forgotten population and efforts need to be improved,” she added.

figures

77% of Peruvians with disabilities are not affiliated to any pension system despite working.

8,300 people with disabilities have a job in the formal private sector. There is an increase of 9.0% compared to 2019.

14.6% of the population with disabilities suffer from multidimensional poverty and monetary poverty.

Approach

“With you” must change focus

Pamela Smith, SODIS Executive Director

10% of the population has some type of disability. There has been progress, but they have been timid to ensure their inclusion. There is a law passed more than ten years ago that guarantees rights and obligations that the State would have to assume, but we are far from complying with them. The lack of access to basic services has a significant impact on people with disabilities: inaccessible transportation makes it expensive to go out and look for a job, for example.

Currently, the only program with a non-contributory pillar is Contigo, which gives S/300 every two months, but only reaches people with very specific characteristics: severely disabled and with no income; that is, they have to qualify as poor. If they have ten soles in their accounts, they are removed from the padrón. This amount is insufficient to cover the needs and, in addition, it prevents the person from being able to work or exercise a trade.