Seminar highlights issues faced by women with disabilities

Islamabad
Activities of International Women’s Day (IWD) were launched on Wednesday with an impressive seminar organised to highlight issues faced by women with disabilities (WWDs).
A large number of women with disability attended the event titled ‘Panel Discussion on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’, organised by National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) and National forum of Women with Disabilities (NFWWD) in collaboration with Sightsavers, the HumAhung Forum, VSO and the Special Talent Exchange Program (STEP).
International Women’s Day (IWD), also called International Working Women’s Day, is celebrated on March 8 every year. In different regions, the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women’s economic, political, and social achievements.
The speakers at the seminar highlighted the need to review laws and policies as a first step to mainstream women with disabilities. They said that such women are absolutely normal and it is the disability of the society to accommodate them. They also demanded the government to include WDDs at decision making level.
Speaking on this occasion, Director General, National Commission for Child Welfare and Development, Muhammad Hassan Mangi said that Persons with Disability (PWD) are part of the society and deserve equal opportunities. “This could not be happen until people change their mindsets,” he said. Mangi suggested the NCSW to include women with disabilities as members of the Commission so that their issues could be highlighted effectively.
Talking about Pakistan’s commitment towards international commitments, he said that the Ministry of Law Justice and Human Rights has established Treaty Implementation Cells in provinces for this purpose but there is a need to build the capacity of these cells.
Chairperson National Commission on the Status of Women Khawar Mumtaz said women with disability first need to organise in order to raise effective voice for their rights.
Sandra Emons from Handicap International said WWDs are segregated and stigmatised in the society. She shared statistics of a study which shows that women with disability are 1.9 times more likely to be abused sexually and they are 3.1 times more vulnerable to gender-based violence as compared to a normal woman.
“A research in Ethiopia revealed that 90 per cent women with disability suffer gender-based violence because they don’t have any voice and they can go to court. No one in the society believe them when they report abuse or violence. It is only after they get pregnant or get extremely sick when people start believing that they were abused,” she said.
Sandra identified that the biggest challenge for highlighting or addressing the issues of WDDs is lack of data.
Abia Akram from National forum of Women with Disabilities said that 10 to 15 per cent population of Pakistan is PWD and 50 per cent of those are women. “It was in 1997 when we started advocacy for PWDs and we realised that there was a huge number of WDD living the life of prisoners in their home. In most of the cases, they were even deprived of basic facilities.”
She said that it was a huge task to make them and their families realize that WDD have talent and potential and they can contribute in their lives as well as for the wellbeing of the community. “Things have changed now and the issues of WDD are visible at national and international level.”
She shared that National forum of Women with Disabilities is also signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the NCSW under which, they will identify areas where they can work together for the uplift of women with disabilities.