Rabat – Morocco counts 1.7 million citizens with disabilities, about 5.1 percent of the total population. Seventy percent are illiterate, and 94.7 percent are economically inactive, revealed a study run by the High Commission for Planning (HCP) back in 2014.
Social disparities are still alive and thriving in the kingdom, and disabled Moroccans are the main social class to take the heat. Nearly two-thirds (71.5 percent) of people with total disabilities have no education, reports the HCP on the sidelines of the International Day of Disabled Persons.
Back in 2014, a total of 393,919 individuals were totally disabled in Morocco. In other words, they could not perform at least one of the six activities of daily living (see, hear, walk, communicate, focus or take care of themselves).
In addition to the lack of education, this category of the population also remains strongly affected by unemployment. In fact, 94.7 percent of those concerned are economically inactive, 3.9 percent are employed, and 1.4 percent are unemployed.
3.4% of totally disabled persons live alone
According to the HCP, 63.2 percent of people with total disability live in households of five or more people, 14.1 percent in households of four, 11.1 percent of households of three, and 8.2 percent of households with two.
Persons with total disability living alone represent 3.4 percent (13,522 persons), 37.8 percent of which are in activity age and 62.2 percent aged 60 and over.
Regarding their family situation, 43.5 percent of people with total disability are single, while 33.8 percent are married, 20.1 percent widowed and 2.6 percent divorced.
The eastern regions of the Kingdom witness the highest rate of prevalence of total disability in at least one activity area of ??daily living with 1.4 percent, followed by Beni Mellal-Khenifra and Marrakech-Safi with 1.3 percent each, compared to 1.2 percent on the national level.
On the other hand, prevalence is lower than the national average in the following six regions: Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Casablanca-Settat, and Souss-Massa with 1.1 percent each, followed by Rabat-Salé-Kenitra with 1 percent, Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra with 0.8 percent, and finally the region of Dakhla-Oued Eddahab with 0.5 percent.
Celebrated on December 3 of each year, the International Day of Disabled Persons aims to promote the rights and well-being of people with disabilities worldwide in all spheres of society and development and to raise awareness of their particular situation in all aspects of political, social, economic and cultural life.
