by Chris Agbo, Abuja correspondent.
Network of Disabled Women in collaboration with Foundation for Resilient Empowerment and Development (FRED) organized a one day strategic meeting with stakeholders and press conference on safeguarding the rights of women and girls with disabilities.
Mrs. Lois Auta Udonkata in her opening speech said that the essence of the meeting is to come up with action plans, strategies and solutions on how the issues of sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR) of Women and Girls with disabilities (WGWDs) can be handled. Seeing inclusiveness in our hospitals, security agents’ facilities, media houses, all our infrastructures where issues of SRHR are being attended to.
She applauded Deaf Women Aloud Initiative (DWAI) for launching a sign language glossary to enhance communication between deaf women and health workers and Disability Rights Advocacy Center (DRAC) for producing a handbook for SRHR for WGWDs and also creating a response centre for WGWDs on Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV).
Mrs. Lois Auta while speaking to the press, said that the
meeting is supported by EU, US Spotlight Initiative project and it has two
objectives; to identify barriers on the rights of WGWDs in Pandemics and map
out functional strategies for safeguarding SRHR of WGWDs.
WGWDs experience grave challenges and barriers more than their male counterparts
and also experience concerns that their peers without disabilities go through
even in much higher dimension. This makes them faced with double
discrimination. WGWDs, that are born into poor homes face with inappropriate
sanitary condition which make their menstrual life traumatic. They are three
times more likely to face physical violence, emotional violence, and sexual
violence than women without disabilities. They are up to 10 times more likely
to experience sexual violence.
She added that 40% to 60 % of them experience sexual violence before the age of 18 according to UNFPA Statistics. Lack of data has made it difficult to know the prevalent of violence against WGWDs, knowing cluster of disability that are more violated and who are the perpetrators and the geographical locations. WGWDs also experience neglect, abuse of all sorts in workplace, home and many other places.
Speaking further, she informed that during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, violence against WGWDs increased going by the cases reported, imagine cases that were not reported due to ignorant and neglect. WGWDs are facing multifaceted barriers and challenges and they are categorized as follows: State barrier which has to do with lack of state actors to initiate and implement inclusive health care policy and existing legislations and policies, Institutional/ health system barrier which is about lack of accessible infrastructure, communication and negative attitude, Individual level barrier is about illiterate population of disability and disability issues, low level of awareness and negative attitude, Community level barrier is about low level of awareness, societal harmful traditional, religious, cultural beliefs and Economic barrier is all about poor economic background and poor economic situation of WGWDs which makes it difficult for WGWDs to seek medical attention even when they know there is need to seek for such services.
She recommended the following:
- Map out functional strategies in safeguarding SRHR of WGWDs; it is very essential in protecting SRHR of WGWDS.
- Data Collection of Victims/Survivors of SGBV among WGWDs is very important
- Female Desk officers should be appointed in Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Security Agencies etc.
- Organization of Disabled Women should be funded and offer employment opportunities.
- There should be accessible communication method in an inclusive format
- Capacity Building, employment opportunities should be created for victims and survivors of SGBV
- National Policy on SRHR for WGWDs should be simplified in different languages for better understanding and speed up of the implementation of the policy
- Healthcare services and other relevant services for WGWDs, Courts, Security Agencies, and reporting centres should be made affordable and accessible and inclusive.
- Healthcare services providers should be frequently trained on the issues of SRHR of WGWDs
- All response and prevention centre’s activities should be made disability inclusive and accessible.
“We want to categorically state that we are tired of being treated as second fiddle, in addition, we want everyone to know that the challenges of gender and disability are too much for WGWDs to handle, we are supposed to be the apple of an eye for the society, It is our prayer that after today, positive consideration should be given to WGWDs in Nigeria” she concluded.
Watch the video of the full Mrs. Lois Press conference:
The representative of UN Women UzoAmaka Asiegbu said that UN women have always supported that equal value be accorded to women including WGWDs and the rights of WGWDs are protected, UN women supports any programme that geared towards promoting the SRHR of WGWDs.
Olorunfemi Olusegun, Asst. National Secretary/ FCT Coordinator, Child Protection Network said that they are joining their voice to say No to any form of abuse to any category of girls whether with disabilities or not. He called on Federal Government to implement the National Policy on Inclusive Education which makes it mandatory for all children irrespective of their status to learn in the same place and this will help numerous girls with disabilities to go to school at little or not. He called on Federal Ministry of Information and Culture or any other agencies saddled with the responsibility of disseminating these policies to the public to begin to do so because the public needs to be aware of these policies. He called on Legal Aid Council and Federation of Women Lawyers to give pro-bono services to WGWDs because they are being abused and their rights are violated but they have no money to go to court. He assured his organization’s commitment to work with other organizations interested in SGBV of WGWDs to ensure that they get justice. He said that they are advocating for representation of WGWDs especially in National Assembly, state assemblies and every other levels because if we have PWDs are in position of power, they will take lead for their issues rather than leaving it to those who do not understand what PWDs go through discussion their issue.
Watch the video of the Press statement of Olorunfemi Olusegun:
Hon. Abiodun Essiet, The special adviser to Abuja Municipal Area Council Chairman on ICT, Donor Agencies and Civil Society Matters as well as social welfare unit and she also the President of African Young Female Advisers Initiative speaking during press time said that it is important to advocate for different governmental agencies to have political will to create an enabling environment, aid data collection for WGWDs. She also said that her take home from this meeting is that they are going to have a sign language interpreter in any of their social welfare services offices to help WGWDs especially deaf women, enhance gathering data of WGWDs and also advise their primary health centres to be sensitive in the issues that affect WGWDs. She promised to engage the Honourable Chairman to ensure that these recommendations are considered in the next budget.
She also said that WGWDs have sexual feelings and they also have rights and their rights should be taken serious by first of all making the centres where they can access services inclusive and formulate programmes to ensure that their issues are properly mainstreamed, that is leaving no one behind as it is proposed by SDGs. When all these are taking into cognizance, their confidence would be restored and they will enjoy their full rights.
Patience Ogolo Dickson, Founder, AWWDI said that the parents of the girls with disabilities owe them a lot to ensure that they get justice, what parents that love their girl child with disability will do when the child is violated, is to ensure that they get justice for the child.
Other speakers at the meeting were Juliet B. Agbor from FHi 360, Salma Abdulwaheed from Nigerian Women Trust Fund and others.
The event featured experience sharing by some women with disabilities on lack of access to SRH services in the hospital and inability to access justice for abuse due to unavailability of sign language interpretation in these places.
Hellen William, Program Technical Advisor in his closing remark thanked all the stakeholders who found time to grace the occasion and urge them to use all the knowledge they acquired from the meeting to advance SRHR of WGWDs because the barriers that have hindered them from accessing justice must be removed and disability inclusion in all health facilities and response centres should be advocated for and National SRHR of WGWDs must be implemented to the later.
