Strengthen voices of women and girls with disabilities in Asia and Pacific

Abstract

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) recognizes women and girls with disabilities are often at greater risk, both within and outside the home, of violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment, or exploitation due to disenabling factors. Organizing the Congress aims to aims 1. strengthen collective voices for advocating their rights, representation, and inclusivity in various spheres of society, 2. empower young women leaders to connect with existing women leaders, experts with disabilities, professionals, and potential collaborators, 3. Raise awareness and promote understanding on the intersection of human rights, gender, and disabilities, and 4.provide evident based advocacy for building necessary mechanisms which are accessible to all women and girl with disabilities. At the end, 187 women and girls with disabilities agreement to establish the Netwok of Women with Disabilities for Asia Pacific, the adopted interim committees and lists of resource persons to promote intersectionality within disabilities, and advocate for mainstreaming gender perspectives into disability and vice versa equality and the Network are an essential tool to support the government for the implementation of human rights treaty and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Background According to World Health Organization (WHO), 1.3 billion persons with significant disability1 and this number equates to about one in six of persons without disabilities.” With an estimated 80 per cent of persons with disabilities living in low and middle-income countries where public services are limited, addressing human rights and inequities could be challenging. Furthermore, the World Bank reports that every minute more than 30 women are seriously injured or disabled during labor and that those 15-50 million women generally go unnoticed. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) recognizes women and girls with disabilities are often at greater risk, both within and outside the home, of violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment, or exploitation due to disenabling factors. The social model of disability clarifies 4 barriers that hinder full and effective participation of women and girls with disability in society on an equal basis with others. They are significantly facing exclusion in particular women with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities that stemmed from attitudinal barrier having a disability makes us “less than” and “unproductivity”. 1 https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/12/1131282 Aims 1. Strengthen collective voices for advocating their rights, representation, and inclusivity in various spheres of society. 2. Empower young women leaders to connect with existing women leaders, experts with disabilities, professionals, and potential collaborators. 3. Raise awareness and promote understanding on the intersection of human rights, gender, and disabilities. 4. Provide evident based advocacy for building necessary mechanisms which are accessible to all women and girl with disabilities. Methods Organizing annual Congress and facilitate the exchange of information, resources, and advice related to disability. Results The agreement to establish the Netwok of Women with Disabilities for Asia Pacific, the adopted interim committees and lists of resource persons. Conclusions Women and girls with diverse impairments regardless of age, sex, race, ethnicity, gender, indigenous status and other social identities face significantly more difficulties in both public and private spheres in attaining access to adequate housing, health, education, and employment, and are more likely to be forced institutionalized and face involuntary health treatment, trafficking and exploitation. The international cooperation programs always exclude women with disabilities, ignore voices of women with disabilities, and control by men with disabilities. Therefore, promoting intersectionality within disabilities, gender equality and empowerment of women and girls with diverse impairments by the Network are essential for achievement of the human rights convention and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).