admin
Gibson Mhaka
“I AM also a valued member of the community and I firmly believe disability should not be a barrier to participation in budget decisions. We, people with disabilities, especially women, deserve a seat at the table.
“We need to be empowered to make choices that affect our lives, not simply listen to decisions made by others. True inclusion means becoming active participants and decision-makers, not just observers,” said Cynthia Dube, a visually impaired woman, her voice filled with frustration.
Cynthia’s experience exemplifies the numerous challenges faced by people with disabilities, especially women, in budget consultation processes.
Women with disabilities face a double burden of discrimination due to their gender and disability. They are often overlooked in traditional budgeting processes, further limiting access to resources and opportunities.
Among people with disabilities, women face the most significant challenges. They experience widespread discrimination and marginalisation in public life, their voices effectively silenced. Marginalised and invisible in the halls of power, they lack recourse to laws and policies that could protect them.
This double discrimination stems from both their disabilities and their gender, as a patriarchal society often devalues women. Invisible and unheard in the halls of power, women with disabilities often lack access to the very laws and policies that could protect them.
This marginalisation extends to budget allocations, which are powerful tools for shaping a nation’s development path. Yet, these budgets are often crafted without their voices or needs considered, leaving them further excluded from the chance to participate in building a more equitable future.
While budgets are crucial tools for addressing the needs of diverse communities, people with disabilities, particularly women, are often excluded from the consultation process.
This lack of participation means their unique challenges go unheard and their needs remain unmet in budget allocations.
“Budget season rolls around every year and it feels like policymakers talk over us, not to us. We, the disabled community, face unique challenges and yet, our needs are rarely considered when allocating resources. It’s like we’re invisible,” lamented Cynthia.
According to United Nations Women, persons with disabilities make up approximately 15 percent of the world’s population, representing an estimated one billion people. Eighty percent of People with disabilities (PWD) are estimated to live in lower- and middle-income countries. Among these countries, women comprise roughly three-quarters of all PWDs, with the majority living in rural and remote areas.
Despite global normative commitments, the rights and needs of women and girls with disabilities continue to be marginalised in legislation, policies and programming. This is due, in part, to sociocultural and attitudinal barriers towards disability, as well as pervasive gender biases.
There’s a critical need to prioritise budget allocations that address the needs of marginalised groups and vulnerable populations, ensuring their voices are heard in shaping these crucial financial decisions.
Even at the local authority level, where gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) is gaining traction, women with disabilities are often excluded. As a result of the joint initiative, the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works gave a policy directive mandating all council budgets to be gender-sensitive as a condition for approval.
Local authorities across the country are now making significant strides in gender equality through the adoption of the “Hub and Spoke” gender main-streaming model, which supports the implementation of inclusive budgeting and programmes.
Speaking at a recent media training workshop on Women’s Political Participation (WPP) and GRB held in Harare, the Gender Links regional director, Priscila Maposa highlighted that although local authorities have seen significant improvement in gender-responsive service delivery through the adoption of the “Hub and Spoke” programme, it frequently overlooks the specific needs of women and girls with disabilities.
“An analysis of budget processes and citizen engagement in local authorities reveals a concerning disparity in participation. While 41 580 women participated in budget consultations, only 838 identified as having disabilities. Similarly, just 857 of the 41 510 men consulted reported disabilities. This translates to a mere two percent representation for both women and men with disabilities – a significant gap compared to the overall participation rates.
“Notably, women and men comprised 50 percent each, and young people made up 25 percent of those consulted. The analysis also sheds light on the methods used for consultations. These included in-person meetings, WhatsApp messaging, Zoom video conferencing and even the use of translated Braille materials. This variety suggests an effort towards inclusivity, but the low participation rate among people with disabilities indicates a need for further accessibility measures,” said Maposa.
By bridging this gap, GRB can truly promote gender equality and empower women with disabilities to have a greater say in shaping their communities.
Speaking through a sign language interpreter, Ellen Moyo, who is hearing and speech impaired, lamented that women with disabilities were consistently left out of budget consultations.
“Budget consultations happen every year, but women with disabilities like myself are left out of the conversation. Our needs are specific and we face different barriers than men or non-disabled women. Yet, these budgets are crafted without our input, leaving us further marginalised and struggling to participate equally,” she complained.
Disability Development Consultant, Tsepang Thembani Nare highlighted challenges for people with disabilities in accessing budget consultations, especially those held by local authorities in the CBD.
He explained the “economic cost of disability” – the extra expense of travel from residential areas to the CBD – which discourages participation.
“Local authorities also fail to use accessible communication for budget consultations. They rely on methods unsuitable for people with disabilities, like deaf individuals who rely on sign language. They also (local authorities) lack in-house sign language expertise and budgets that consider disability. Information dissemination doesn’t involve sign language experts, hindering access for the deaf community. This exclusionary approach by local authorities leaves people with disabilities out of the conversation entirely,” said Nare.
Bulawayo City Council (BCC) Councillor, Perseverance Nyathi outlined several steps local authorities can take to ensure budget allocations consider the needs of women with disabilities.
These include engaging with women with disabilities and their organisations through focus groups, surveys and public hearings; collecting and analysing gender-disaggregated data to understand their specific challenges; setting clear targets and indicators to address these needs; ensuring public infrastructure accessibility; and providing training and capacity building for officials.
“In my opinion, the biggest barriers to disability-inclusive GRB are: lack of data, limited disability awareness, insufficient funding and low participation by women with disabilities. To improve, we need more funding for targeted programmes and training for officials on disability and GRB,” said Cllr Nyathi.
BCC Ward 17 Clr, Sikhululekile Moyo emphasised the importance of gender-responsive budgeting that embraces the needs of women and girls with disabilities.
She highlighted that according to the 2022 census, 54 percent of the city’s population is female, necessitating the council budget to pay special attention to women and girls with disabilities in their diversity.
“We strive for inclusivity in budgeting for programmes that impact women’s livelihoods. For example, the council is currently running a programme promoting gender-inclusive local economic development. This project, in partnership with Gender Links and supported by the Swedish Embassy, renovated the Bulawayo Home Industries, with 50 percent of the beneficiaries being women, including those with disabilities,” said Clr Moyo.
Councillor Moyo further stressed the need for the city to address the low participation of young girls and women with disabilities in council budgets and community activities. She proposed establishing a dedicated gender committee to follow up on the implementation of policies surrounding these vulnerable groups.
BCC Ward 23 Clr, Ntombizodwa Khumalo pointed to the presence of a Councillor with a disability on the local authority as evidence of some initiatives towards involving women and girls with disabilities.
“Local authorities need to review and strengthen pro-poor, gender and disability policies. This will create a more sustainable Gender Responsive Budget (GRB) that addresses the gap in opportunities for women and girls with disabilities compared to able-bodied women. These policies should specifically address disability-friendly infrastructure within our institutions,” said Clr Khumalo.
Online Reporter