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Vaidah Mashangwa
ABOUT 60 million people in the world or 10 percent of the world’s population live with disabilities. These people face a myriad of physical, social, economic, structural and cultural problems as they battle to fight stigma and discrimination that society bestows on them.
These problems are heavily felt in the areas of education, work and employment, sexual and reproductive health, rape and sexual violence.
“At times, health personnel wonder where we get HIV/Aids from yet we also lead sexual lives just like anyone else. We also have sexual feelings and people should stop treating us like second class citizens,” said a participant at a workshop organised by Disabled Women in Africa for representatives of women living with disabilities drawn from various organisations.
One after the other, participants narrated how they are discriminated against at the private and public arena as well as at the family level. Discussions from the workshop revealed that while most people or children are called by their names, people living with disabilities are called by the nature of their disabilities. Phrases such as “Umama lowana wewheelchair yakhe, umama wamacrutches, isilima lesiyana,” are used by neighbours, relatives and the general populace.
Women living with disabilities are often treated as asexual and are more disadvantaged than men living with disabilities in similar circumstances. Women living with disabilities do not enjoy human rights due to the lesser status ascribed to them by society. As a result, stress, discrimination and isolation are some of the mental health challenges that women living with disabilities have to bear on a day to day basis.
Looking after a person living with disability needs a lot of time and patience and this leaves the caregivers with little time to do other social, political and economic activities. Instead of sleeping for 8 hours, caregivers sleep for 4 to 6 hours depending on the nature of disability.
Physically challenged couples at times find it difficult to start families as they might not be financially stable to hire a child-minder. Getting married in the first place is also a challenge as most in-laws do not accept a daughter-in-law who has a disability.
In terms of reproductive care services, women living with disabilities encounter physical barriers in terms of accessing various health care centres. These include unavailability of ramps, hand rails and in-adjustable hospitals beds. When they get sick, they depend on aid to get on and off the bed which affects their self-esteem.
A recent Disabled Women in Africa newsletter said there was a need to have health personnel who are conversant in sign language as most fail to communicate with women with varying disabilities.
It was discovered that the female condom is not user friendly to women living with disabilities as some fail to use it due to the nature and the varying degrees of their disabilities. It was recommended that there be further research on the female condom so that it is disability friendly.
Visiting friends and relatives or attending gatherings becomes problematic for people living with disabilities just as it is difficult to get onto public transport especially if one is using a wheelchair. It takes time and energy to go up the stairs and the idea of using a bathroom which is not disability friendly is a daunting one.
One participant at the workshop narrated how she struggled to go up to the sixth floor of a building because the lifts were out of order. When the lifts are not working, most of them said they would rather go back home without getting the desired service.
According to Article 6 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability, state parties should recognise that women and girls living with disabilities are subject to multiple discriminations and in this regard should take measures to ensure the full and equal enjoyment by them of all their human rights and fundamental freedoms. Women feel that the provisions outlined thereof should be implemented so that they are part and parcel of the development agenda.
In as far as their participation in the education sector is concerned, less than five percent of children and young persons living with disability have access to education and training. According to a 1998 United Nations Development Programme study, the literacy rate of adults living with disability is as low as three percent and one percent for women.
Women living with disabilities face difficulties in entering the labour market while men living with disabilities are almost twice as likely to get the jobs. Even when women are employed, they often experience unequal hiring and promotion standards, training, occupational segregation, and unequal pay for equal work.
One major concern for women living with disabilities is that of gender-based violence including rape and sexual abuse.
They feel that as long as police officers manning the Victim Friendly Unit are not taught sign language, reporting incidences of rape and sexual abuse will be futile due to lack of efficient communication. As a result, many cases go unreported.
Considering the fact that 52,4 percent of those raped test HIV positive, there is a need to ensure the safety and protection of women and girls living with disabilities. Human trafficking emerged as one form of abuse among women and girls living with disabilities.
It is of paramount importance for government to mainstream disability issues into all programming as well as during the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies so that their needs are integrated into mainstream development.
l Vaidah Mashangwa is the Provincial Development Officer in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development, Bulawayo. She can be contacted on 0772 111 592 or via email [email protected].
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