by Chris Agbo
On Tuesday, 26 November, 2019, Disability Rights Advocacy Centre (DRAC) organized a SENSITIZATION MEETING FOR THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY ON THE NATIONAL POLICY ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, WITH EMPHASIS ON WOMEN AND GIRLS.
It is in line with DRAC’s “Making it Work” Project, aimed at improving access to Sexual & Reproductive Health Rights Services and information for Women and Girls with disabilities in the FCT.
Executive Director, DRAC, Dr Irene Patrick-Ogbogu speaking at the event explained that one of the component of the project is to popularize the SRH so the meeting was geared towards introducing to the participant National Policy on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Persons with Disabilities with Emphasis on Women and Girls with Disabilities and also to build the knowledge of the participants on SRH issues that persons with disabilities face and how the policy speaks to those issues. Speaking further, she informed that at the end of the meeting, the different cluster group would understand their roles in the implementation of the policy. The policy is as good as nothing if it is not implemented so all clusters have a role to play to ensure the implementation of the policy.
The meeting witnessed a very engaging presentation by Dr. Irene when she took the participants through the concept of SRHR. Participants were made to understand that it is a right for everybody whether old or young, man, woman or transgender, straight, bisexual, gay or lesbian, HIV positive or negative, all have right to make choices regarding their own sexuality and reproduction. It was an interactive session; the participant spoke on what they understood about SRHR. In the course of the presentation she informed that SRHR must be accessed by all including Persons with disabilities. Therefore, all health services, guidelines and information must made available to persons with disabilities in a way that they can access them without stress.
Then, she related the articles in the CRPD and how they speak to the access to SRHR by persons with disabilities. For example, Article 9 calls for accessibility to medical facilities and information, Article 16 speaks on taking measures to protect persons with disabilities from violence and abuse, including gender-based violence and abuse, Article 22 promoting equal rights of PWDs to privacy that includes privacy to personal health information, Article 23 seeks to eliminate discrimination against PWDs in all matters relating to marriage, family, parenthood, and relationships, including in the areas of family planning, fertility and family life.
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Another important aspect of the presentation was the Society’s Attitude towards SRHR of Women with Disabilities. She explained that society’s attitude to the reproductive health issues of WWD is negative, biased, uninformed, coercive and based on ignorance of the reproductive health needs of WWD. There is always a popular notion that WWD don’t have any business with sex, let alone becoming pregnant and have a child or adopt a child. So, they are discriminated upon when they seek SRH services, they cannot even access the premises of health facilities, they are denied information and communication materials, the healthcare providers always have negative approach or attitude to them when they seek these services, lack of disability-related clinical services, lack of funding including health insurance and conflict and humanitarian disasters.
The Summary of the National Policy of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights of Persons with disabilities with emphasis on women and girls with disabilities were presented and thereafter, the participants were grouped in clusters to draw up short term actions using the Thematic areas in the policy document and to identify the organizations to shoulder the responsibilities of each plan in line with the peculiarities of the challenges to the cluster group, taking FCT as pilot state.
Clusters represented at the meeting were Deaf, Blind, Physical Disability, and Persons with Albinism. DRAC Executive Director expressed concern that certain Disability clusters continue to be excluded and/or underrepresented within the Disability movement, she explained that she is also working with other stakeholders to identify these missing clusters and ensure their participation.
Recalling that in 2018, DRAC and Federal Ministry of Health developed the National Policy on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Persons with Disabilities with Emphasis on Women and Girls with Disabilities. The policy aims at ensuring that all sexual and reproductive health programs reach and serve persons with disabilities particularly women and girls with disabilities. It was launched by the Honourable Minister of Health in April 2019, and the 5 years costed strategic plan of implementation recently developed.
Sexual and Reproductive Health is an essential component of health and a pillar for sustainable development; therefore, it would be looked into and all hands should be on deck to address it.
SEE SOME PICTURES OF THE EVENT
