TQM Report,
Advocacy for women with disabilities Initiative (AWWDI) with support from Disability Right Fund (DRF) has desired to make issues of Sexual and Gender Based Violence of women and girls with Disabilities (WGWDs) visible and amplify the voice of WGWDs on GBV, SRHR, and Access to justice in Nigeria.
In a press release signed Patience Dickson, the Founder and Executive Director of AWWDI, she stated that Nigeria has long been facing a gender-based violence crisis, with 30% of women and girls aged 15-49 having experienced sexual abuse, but the report is higher when it comes to women and girls with disabilities.
She informed that the Gender based violence(GBV) of women and girls with disabilities are always in the dark, hardly reported, when it is reported, people don’t believe them.
“Over the years; issues of women and girls with disabilities lack coordination amongst key stakeholders and poor implementation of legal frameworks, combined with entrenched gender discriminatory norms, wrong cultural beliefs about women and girls with disabilities has hampered government and civil society efforts to address gender-based violence of women and girls with disabilities. These efforts have been further compromised by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic” she added.
She also said that the incidence of Gender Based Violence (GBV) of WGWDs is growing astronomically with the activities of the insurgency in many parts of Nigeria.
“From partner violence to rape and sexual harassment, forced and early marriage to physical, mental or sexual assault. Nearly 3 in 10 women in Nigeria have experienced physical violence by age 15 (NDHS 2013)”.
She also stated that it will be interesting to note that WGWDs also experience specific forms of gender based violence as a result of their disability, ranging from sexual abuse by caregivers, withholding of medical or an assistive device, purposefully substandard, denial of necessities like food, toileting, control of sensory devices, financial control, restriction of communication devices, violence in long term care institution and enforced isolation.
“The pandemic has seen the diversion of priorities and resources and resulted in a surge of reports of gender-based violence because of the government imposed lockdowns and measures put in place to curb the pandemic”.
“The issues of women and girls with disabilities and their challenges are not visible and not a priority within government programs and some stakeholders that have the capacity to address them”2).
What the project expected from Stakeholders and the general public include but not limited:
*Reflect on your own biases and challenge disabilities gender stereotypes
*Government, faith based organizations, traditional leaders and other stakeholders should Educate the people in their scope of influence about healthy relationships with Women and girls with disabilities
*Support and believe survivors of GBV who are Women Girls With Disabilities who come forward
*Promote policies and practices that foster a safe environment for WGWDs
*Encourage Women and Girls With Disabilities to be involved in leadership and change for their visibility and voice in decision making
*Media should as a matter of urgency make issue of GBV of WGWDs visible
*Disability acts, VAAP Act should be urgently implemented with special attention to accessing justice for women and girls with disabilities.”
“As we are in the era of reflecting in solidarity for all women on this 16 days activism for violence against women globally, let us also being to use this medium to have a collective action around access and advancement of marginalized women especially our sisters with special needs” she stated.
