The Child Act, 2010 provided for the provision of care and protection to children with
special needs as stipulated in Article 48 of the Act. Articles 49 and 50 provided for the
education of children with special needs and awarding them certificates specifying the
trade for which each and every one of them was qualified. Articles 51 and 52 provided
for enlisting of children with special needs in labor offices and the allocation of quotas
for them public sector employment openings. Article 53 provided for exemption of all
equipment used by children with special needs from duties and customs.
Policies and Legislations on children with special needs:
The National Interim Constitution of the Republic of the Sudan, 2005 (Articles
12, 44 and 45). These cover the rights of children with special needs in
employment, social justice, education and health.
Public Service Act, 2007 which allocates 2% of employment openings in the
public sector to the qualified disabled.
The Ministry of l Welfare and Social Security has issued the National Policy on
children with special needs in collaboration with the Ministry of Education which
called for the integration of children with special needs in the national educational
system.
Status of Children with Special Needs
There are certain procedures for qualification of children with special needs at
kindergartens before integration in the educational system. Most of these
procedures are medical in nature with little psychosocial assessment. Services
rendered to families are meager.
The percentage of boys visiting medical institutions is higher than girls and the
majority of them aged 1-6.
Physical disability constitutes the majority of cases of children with special needs
visiting medical institutions.
Causes of disability of children with special needs visiting medical institutions are
diseases, difficult labor at birth and accidents.
Treatment centers for children with special needs have been established in
Dongola, Kassala, Damazin, Kadugli, Nayala and Gadaref. Physiotherapy
facilities have been opened in Dongola, Kassala, Damazin, Kadugli, Nayala and
Gadaref. The disabled, including children with special needs, have benefited from
12,500 big arm support sticks and 25,000 small arm support sticks, 1000 blind
sticks and 330 wheel chairs from local and international sources.
Size of Disability in Sudan:
The NCCW in collaboration with Save the Children Sweden conducted a survey of
children with special needs in the states of Khartoum, Blue Nile, River Nile and S
Kordufan in 2007-2008. Results were as follows:
Khartoum State;
Total number of children with special needs in disability institutions is 5513,
59.2% of them i.e. 3264 are boys and 2249 are girls representing 40.8%. The
number of institutions working with children with special needs is 29.
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