by AUGUSTINE ONYEACHONAM, TQM reporter, Enugu,
Voice of disability initiative (VDI) on Thursday 16, 2021 and Friday 17, 2021 in Enugu organized a 2-day training workshop on rights – based advocacy, human rights reporting and recording system. This project is being implemented by Voice of Disability Initiative with support from AMPLIFY CHANGE.
The Chief Executive Officer, VDI, Barr. Catherine Edeh Chinyere in her opening speech while welcoming the guests and stakeholders in the meeting, said that women with disabilities have diverse needs but they are often left behind with their needs not attended to. she said that she has lived with disability and that is why she is exposed to the issues women with disabilities faced and her interaction with other women with disabilities and that is what gave birth to VDI.
Speaking further, issues concerning women with disabilities are not one person’s affairs but rather a team work from each and every of the participants for development and that is why this workshop is important. She said that is a collective process in order to achieve a goal and make positive input especially on their rights as women with disabilities. Participants should share their experiences, learn more and know the laws to backup their rights as women with disabilities especially when those rights are being violated.
“The objectives of the training were to have audience/participants gain comprehensive insight and jointly plan for informed capacity strengthening strategies for SRHR rights-based advocacies and human rights violation and recording system’’ she added.
Barr. Pat Etumudom (ALDIN) Delta State, facilitated on SRHR rights-based advocacies while Barr.Yusuf Iyodo (National Commission for Persons with Disabilities NCPWD Abuja) gave an in-depth lecture on Human rights violation and Gender based violence against women with disabilities. Other contributors from collaborating gender-based organizations like TAMAR SARC Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Enugu state government GBV organization office under the State Ministry of Women Affairs gave their goodwill messages. Mr. Edward Ogenyi gave an overview of the Voice of Disability Initiative and AMPLIFY CHANGE project.
Barr. Pat Etumudom facilitated on sexual and reproductive health and rights of women with disabilities in Nigeria, while Barr. Yusuf Iyodo took the participants on sexual and gender-based violence and women with disabilities-an overview of the disability, and the current situation of rights violations in Nigeria and recording system.
At the end of the training, the participants were well sensitized and they were well equipped to advocate for the rights of women with disabilities and also educate other women with disabilities to know their rights.
They were also equipped with the knowledge of reporting when they are supposed to, and finally participants were asked to share their experiences in anyway their rights has been violated for reference purposes for anyone that wishes to share. The participants were drawn from different clusters of disability and it cut across the local governments of Enugu State across the three senatorial zones in Enugu State and they were specifically very happy with the Executive Director of VDI Barr Catherine who is a daughter of the state for bringing this very program to Enugu state.
TQM learnt that VDI would be organizing workshop as an on-going project and Enugu state will be part of it to the end of the project because according to the CEO of VDI, the organization would not stop until women with disabilities in Nigeria know their rights in regards to Sexual and Reproductive Health.
