North Macedonia: Bullied girl with Down’s syndrome walked to school by president

[ad_1]

North Macedonia’s president Stevo Pendarovski joined youngster Embla Ademi for the school-run (Picture: Reuters)

A girl who had been bullied and discriminated against because she has Down’s Syndrome was supported by her country’s president as he walked her to school.

North Macedonia’s Stevo Pendarovski joined the youngster and her family for the school-run after some parents petitioned for her to be removed from class.

Embla Ademi, 11, from Gostivar, held hands with Mr Pendaror who said ‘Inclusion is a basic principle that we must support in such cases’.

Speaking after they had arrived, Pendarovski added that he had come to show support to Ademi and her family and to show that everyone in North Macedonia was equal.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Mr Pendarovski said that everyone in North Macedonia are equal Embla has returned to school and will be assigned a personal assistant

‘I came to offer my help and support that I can in this position that I am in. If we can, if we raise the awareness people who have special needs are a part of us and we cannot discard them,’ he said.

Local media reported parents of children in the same class as Ademi had petitioned for her removal and for her to be educated separately from other children.

She has now returned to her classroom with other students and has been assigned a personal assistant.

Children living with disabilities in the Western Balkans are often unable to access help and opportunities and face entrenched social discrimination and stigma, according to a 2018 report by UNICEF and the European Disability Forum.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Get your need-to-know latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more

[ad_2]