BY ALABARAONYE KENNETH
The coalition of four Disabled People Organizations (DPOs) Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), Faecare Foundation, Haly Hope Foundation and Advocacy for Women with Disabilities Initiative (AWWDI) organized a press conference on PRIORITIZING INCLUSIVE BUDGETING FOR SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS (SRHR) OF WOMEN AND GIRL WITH DISABILITIES IN NIGERIA otherwise known as PRIORITIZE IT. The activities of the coalition on this project is funded by Disability Right Fund (DRF).
Patience Ogolo-Dickson, founder of AWWDI speaking on behalf on the coalition said that Prioritizing Inclusive Budgeting for Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights is an initiative of four women with disabilities led organizations consisting of Inclusive Friends Association(IFA), Faecare Foundation, Haly Hope Foundation and Advocacy for Women with Disabilities Initiative(AWWDI) who are working together to improve the life and access to services of all PWDs and their aim is to facilitate social inclusion, access health services and increase awareness about the health status of women and girls with disabilities basic in Nigeria and the project is supported by the Disability Right Fund (DRF).
She also said that the long desire for inclusion, access, equality and equity by PWDs in Nigeria is gradually making a head way ever since the government ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) On September 24, 2010. Articles 9 and 25 of the convention emphasize on accessibility and access to health respectively, on 23 January, 2019, President Mohammed Buhari signed into law the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2019 and on 23 April, the National Policy on Sexual Reproductive Health Rights of PWDs with emphasis to women and girls with disabilities was launched. These giant strides by the government have been immensely appreciated and they commend the government of the day for these efforts.
However, so much needs to be done. PWDs equally have health needs. Women and girls with disabilities deserve to have unfettered access to sexual and reproductive health rights as enshrined in the national policy on sexual and reproductive health rights of the PWDs. Communication barriers, unskilled and inadequate service providers deny PWDs the rights to enjoy good health which is a threat to the fundamental human right to life of PWDs. Women and girls happen to be the most affected. According to World Health Organization (WHO) Women and girls with disabilities comprise 75% of the total number of PWDs in the world whom generally are uneducated, underprivileged and lack access to opportunities that could enhance their living standards. These categories of women and girls in most cases fall victims of sexual violence and abuse and have high tendencies to contract sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
While the government has taken the initiative to enact the National Policy on Sexual Reproductive Health of PWDs, policies on their own are as good as not having one, without a budget which is required to facilitate the implementation of policy. Only recently, did president pass annual budget to the national assembly for approval, we want to use this medium to call the attention of the government to consider the needs of millions of women and girls with disabilities that are also Nigerian citizens and that are high risk of sexual and reproductive health challenges. We would also like to use this medium to call on the minister of budget and national panning, finance, women affairs, international development partners, civil society organizations and growth seeking individuals to support us in getting the government of Nigeria to make budgeting inclusive to accommodate the needs of PWDs especially women and girls with disabilities for the sustainable growth and development of our beloved country Nigeria.
She said finally as we commemorate the 16 days of activism for the elimination of violence against women and which includes gender-based violence, a non-inclusive budgeting for PWDs especially women and girls with disabilities which also means leaving a minority and vulnerable community behind during implementation.
The country representative of Disability Right Fund (DRF) Mr. Theophilus Odaudu in a goodwill message commended the effort of IFA-Led Coalition in their struggle to better life of the Nigerian women and girls with disabilities and urged the government to do the needful by establishing National Disability Commission quickly which will fundamentally capture all the policies and rights of PWDs and its full implementation.
