A new regulation aimed at protecting the employment rights and interests of disabled people will be issued at the end of this year sources with the China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF) said recently.

Entitled the 'Protection of Disabled Persons' Employment Rights' the regulation was initiated early in September 2003 by the CDPF.

"By promoting the employment of people with disabilities the regulation will lay a solid legal foundation to help improve the living conditions of the country's 60 million disabled people," Wang Tao, a CDPF leading official said in an interview with China Daily.

Wang did not release details of the regulation saying it is currently being revised by legal experts and will be submitted for final approval by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress at the end of this year.

However, sources from the Legal Affairs Department of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security said the new regulation would impose a compulsory rule for enterprises to hire a certain number of disabled employees. Otherwise they'd be required to donate money to a special fund beforehand or face a fine.

Money collected in both ways would be used to support initiatives related to the employment of the disabled such as small loans to assist individuals planning to start their own businesses the sources added.

"Once it's approved the regulation will set out conditions for employment of the disabled such as mapping out preferential policies to help welfare enterprises survive severe market competition and enhance occupational training for disabled people," Wang said.

Deng Pufang, CDPF chairman, said during the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which ended on March 13, nearly one-tenth of China's 60 million disabled still lived in poverty.

"Despite the progress we have made over the last few years there's still a long way to go to improve the overall living conditions of the disabled," Deng said.

CDPF sources said there were more than 4.2 million disabled people in towns and cities and 7.27 million in rural areas who were employed during the 10th Five-Year Plan period (2001-05).

However, prejudices against the disabled and the obstacles they faced when making a real effort to find employment and participate in social activities still existed, Deng said.

"One of the best and most effective ways of improving the lives of disabled people is to provide them with access to employment," said Deng who is paraplegic himself.

Wang Minyuan, a law researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, applauded the new regulation and called it a significant contribution to the world issue of safeguarding the rights of disabled people.

"A well-off society should include vulnerable groups since they are part of life," Wang said.

In addition to the new regulation Wang said the country should continue to expand the employment information network for the disabled to provide more job opportunities.

(China Daily March 22, 2006)