- 7Health and Welfare 7.1 Children with disabilities (article 13) 238. Article 13 of the Charter requires the State to take special legislative, administrative and other measures to ensure the dignity of, promote self-reliance and the active participation of children with disabilities in the community; to ensure they receive assistance and access to training, and preparation for employment and recreation opportunities; to ensure their mobility and access to public institutions. 239. The decade-long war resulted in huge increases in the number of people with disabilities, especially because of the atrocities committed included the amputation of victim’s limbs. However, many children and adults carried not only visible, but also invisible scars from the civil war in the form of physical and mental health disabilities. A 2002 WHO survey found that in post-war Sierra Leone, 2 percent of the population was psychotic; 4 percent had severe depression; 1 percent had mental retardation; and 1 percent had epilepsy (United Nations, 2007). In 2005, over 550,000 children aged between 2 and 9 years suffered some form of disability (Statistics Sierra Leone, 2006). 240. The GoSL was unprepared for addressing the massively increased needs of people who were disabled by the civil war. The post-war Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended the provision of education and medical support for people with disabilities, especially children. 241. The GoSL launched the Sierra Leone Reparation Programme and in 2008 mandated the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSSA) to implement reparation in the areas of health, education and economic empowerment programmes. This resulted in the establishment of a referral system for medical care for victims requiring emergency medical treatment and the launch of a War Victims Trust Fund. However, severe funding limits mean that many victims and their families have yet to benefit from these initiatives (United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commission, 2013). 242. The GoSL ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2008, marking a shift in its approach to disability from a medical / charity approach to a social and human rights approach. 243. In 2011, the GoSL passed into law the Persons with Disability Act which aligns the national legal framework with the State’s obligations in terms of the CRPD. The Act guarantees children’s rights to, inter alia, inclusive education, equal access to services and free health care. The Act further establishes the National Commission 7. Health and Welfare  65