Women with disabilities face multiple discrimination – NGO

The Voice of Disability Initiative (VDI), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has raised an alarm over the multiple discrimination allegedly suffered by women with disabilities in society.

The Executive Director of the NGO, Catherine Edeh, said this on Thursday in Lafia during a one-day stakeholders’ dialogue and capacity building workshop for such women.

She said that women with disabilities were often discriminated against and that it becomes double discrimination, if the woman was disabled.

“If a disabled person, especially a deaf woman, is sick and in an emergency situation, medical personnel usually abandon them to their fate.

“This medical personnel often claimed that they cannot communicate with deaf patients, hence, must finish attending to other patients before they would give them attention.

“The unwillingness to attend to sick women in emergency because of alleged communication barrier has led to an increase in the mortality rate of women with disabilities,” she said.

Edeh, who is deaf, regretted that women with disabilities were often raped and abused in schools, hospitals, homes and offices.

She also said that women with disabilities, who were abused, usually found it difficult to open up due to fear of stigmatisation.

“You are being discriminated against as a woman and a disabled woman.

“So, to further say you were raped is inviting another form of discrimination against yourself,” Edeh said.

She, therefore, lauded the Nasarawa State Government for domesticating the Disability Law in 2018 to protect persons with disabilities in the state.

Also, Mr Emmanuel Ozoemena, said that VDI, as a women-led NGO, was focused on advancing the rights of women, girls and children with disability.

He said that VDI is partnering with a wide range of stakeholders, including the government, NGOs, development partners, bilateral and multilateral agencies, the private sector and media.

Ozoemena said: “VDI with support from Disability Rights Fund, a U.S.-based international non-profit organisation, is implementing a project in the state.

“The project is aimed at sensitising stakeholders on strengthening access to sexual and reproductive health rights of women with disabilities and protection against sexual violence.

“The project supports the objective of the Nasarawa State Government to foster inclusion of women and girls with disabilities on access to healthcare and protection from sexual violence.”

In a remark, Gov. Abdullahi Sule, represented by the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Ai’sha Rufa’i Ibrahim, promised to partner any organisations interested in promoting the rights of the vulnerable.

The governor also said that the government would ensure that women with disabilities were given special attention in all public medical facilities in the state.

Also, the state Secretary of Joint Association of Persons Living with Disabilities, Mr Osakade Solomon, and Mrs Nanret Akoji, said that their members were facing a lot of challenges in society.

The duo, who spoke on behalf of other members of the group, also said that able-bodied persons usually found it difficult to marry persons with disabilities and hardly offered them employment.

They also appealed to the government to ensure the full implementation of the law and punish those who discriminate against persons with disabilities in the state.