Without language, there could be no society and, possibly, no religion, says Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Rosy Akbar.
She made the statement while commemorating International Day of Sign Languages yesterday.
“Without language, there would be no culture,” Ms Akbar said.
“As Fijians, we can be proud to be signatories of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which recognises and promotes the use of sign languages.
“It makes clear that sign languages are equal in status to spoken languages and obligates state parties to facilitate the learning of sign language and promote the linguistic identity of the deaf community.”
She said the day recognised the importance of preserving sign languages as part of linguistic and cultural diversity.
“It also emphasises the principle of ‘nothing about us without us’ in terms of working with deaf communities.
“Fiji’s Bill of Rights within the 2013 Constitution also recognises the unique medium of communication and we are happy to note how in the last 5 years, the inclusion of sign language during our national news, in education institutes and parliamentary sittings have been prioritised.
“Having said that, I must also address the sad fact that sign language interpreters are far too often humiliated and mocked on social media platforms for the way they express themselves.
“It is indeed an unfortunate show of the fact that still, too many Fijians have not learnt the value of sign languages – let alone learn to respect and treat persons with disabilities with respect, dignity and as equals.
“This mentality is shameful and it must be changed.
“Fijians can support this uniqueness and applaud our silent heroes, like the caregivers, parents, teachers, sports coaches and sign language interpreters for those that are hard of hearing.”
