AWWDI Advocates For The Rights To Self Determination And Access To Justice For WGWD

Advocacy for Women with Disabilities Initiative (AWWDI) a Disability Rights movement has demanded recognition of the rights of Women and Girls with Disabilities (WGWD) to informed decision making and justice against Gender/Disability based violence.

The advocacy group made the call at a stakeholders round table discussion organized to amplify the visibility and voices of Women and Girls with Disabilities on gender based violence. The event is part of their 16 days of activism with support from Disability Rights Fund.

The event which took place on Tuesday, Nov. 30th, brought together Persons with Disabilities from across the State to educate them on ways to widen their horizons through advocacy.

The Executive Director, Mrs Patience Ogolo Dickson in her address, remarked that Women and Girls with Disabilities (WGWDs) face a disproportionately greater amount of violence than their able counterparts.

She noted that, too often, guardians and other adult caregivers infringe on the legal decision making powers of Women. This, she warned makes them more vulnerable and exposes them to further risks of gender based violence.

According to Mrs. Dickson, this state of affairs is more common among Women and Girls with Disabilities in rural areas, older women and Children with Disabilities.

Ogolo listed Gender Based Violence faced by Women with Disabilities in the hands of their care givers to include intimate partner violence, family violence, sexual violence and harassment, withholding of medication or assistive device, denial of necessities like food, forced medical procedures, particularly forced sterilization, contraception or abortion.

She says barriers to ending violence among PWDs/WGWD includes fear of reporting the abuses owing to emotional, financial or physical dependence in an inaccessible environment where the rate of employment and education is low, and discrimination against Women with Disabilities is on the high side.

Dickson stressed that the “Government is obliged by international law to respect, protect and fulfill the rights of WGWDs against gender-based violence. According to her “WGWDS must be able to live their lives free from gender/ability related violence. She went on to highlight the importance of raising awareness to change mindsets on GVB.

In the same vein, the program manager, Mr Kolawole Jayeoba spoke on how the organization operates its advocacy for women with disabilities, In his words, ” As an able man, I am the leg to the physically challenged, eye to the blind, ear to the deaf”. He disclosed that he had worked with Women with Disabilities for over 10 yrs, tirelessly assisting them to break barriers.

Representative of National Agency for Prohibitions of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, expressed her happiness at the efforts put together by AWWDI. She promised adequate assistance from their office. She also warned that every building must be accessible to Women with Disabilities or risk demolition in the nearest future.

Representative from SMEDAN likewise assured of assistance to the group

The event included a book presentation chaired by legal consultant, Barr Uzoma Aneto. The central theme of the book: “Amplifying Visibility, Voice, and Access to Justice on Sexual and Gender Based Violence for Women and Girls with Disabilities” added flavour the purpose of the advocacy.