By VOWACGHANA

Violence against women and girls is a global phenomenon. It is estimated that 19% of women have disabilities as compared to 12% men (Disabled Women’s Network of Canada, “Factsheet: Women with Disabilities and Violence,” accessed Jul. 21, 2020) https://www.dawncanada.net/media/uploads/page_data/page-267/english_-_violence_-_january_2014.pdf). This is due to the fact that, violence that women and girls with Disabilities face is caused by the intersection of gender and disability.

Hence making their’s more dangerous and severe. Most of the perpetrators of violence against women and girls with Disabilities are people who are close to them. Which may include, caregivers, relatives, friends and their health professionals. Moreover, women and girls with Disabilities experience different types of violence ranging from mal to severe, based on their age, religion, ethnicity as well as type of impairment.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) recognizes that ‘disability is an evolving concept’ (UNCRPD, 2006, p. 1), and defines persons with disabilities as those who have ‘long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others’ (UNCRPD, 2006, p. 4).

Despite these myriad barriers, there is a lack of data on women and girls with disabilities. Little or no data means it is difficult to create policies and programs inclusive of women with disabilities who may be most at risk of being left behind. Conversely, high-quality, timely, reliable, and available disability data are needed to understand the real situation of women and girls with disabilities, to identify gaps that are not addressed through policies, and to provide examples of success.

Most often, violence against women and girls with Disabilities are not reported and even if they are, they receive less acknowledgement, since no resources are allocated to handle issues of violence against women and girls with Disabilities in Ghana.

In addition, Inaccessible reporting channels and structures make it cumbersome for women and girls with disability to report violence as well as inaccessible communication (Sign language interpreters, large prints, and braille) prevents women and girls with hearing and intellectual impairment from reporting violence against them. Furthermore, the cost associated with pursuing legal services by women and girls with disabilities prevents them from reporting. More to the point, women and girls with disability who are violated find it difficult to report to the appropriate channels because they feel they are overly dependent on their families and it will be a burden on them.

Violence against women and girls with disabilities equally occurs around the world. In the United States, 1 out of 4 women has a disability. Despite being roughly 25% of the female population, women with disabilities are nearly 40% of rape survivors. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Sexual Violence and Intimate Partner Violence among People with Disabilities,” accessed Jul. 28, 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/datasources/nisvs/svandipv.html). In Canada, 60% of women with disabilities are likely to experience some form of violence during their lives as adults. (Disabled Women’s Network of Canada, “Factsheet: Women with Disabilities and Violence,” accessed Jul. 21, 2020, https://www.dawncanada.net/media/uploads/page_data/page-267/english_-_violence_-_january_2014.pdf). Australian women with disabilities are 40% more likely than their non-disabled counterparts to experience domestic violence, and 70% of Australian women with disabilities have been sexually abused. (Human Rights Watch, “One Billion Forgotten: Protecting the Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” accessed Jun. 29,2020. https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/related_material/2014%20disabilities_program_low.pdf).

In the developing world, statistics on disability often underrepresent the percentage of women and girls with disabilities. In Uganda, statistics show that 20% of people have disability, but this is likely far lower than reality (Human Rights Watch, “Uganda: For Women with Disabilities, Barriers and Abuse,” accessed Jul. 29, 2020. https://www.hrw.org/news/2010/08/26/uganda-women-disabilities-barriers-and-abuse#). More than one-third of Ugandan women with disability surveyed had experienced sexual abuse. In Nepal, 58% of women with disabilities experienced violence by family members and neighbors, 39% by intimate partners, and 12% by strangers. In Columbia, 72% of women with disabilities have experienced domestic violence at the hands of a spouse or partner.

Violence against women and girls take many forms as a result of the intersection of gender and disability, these intersecting identities lead to women and girls with disabilities experiencing more violence than both their non-disabled female counterparts and their male with disability counterparts. Furthermore, half of all women with disabilities have been assaulted more than 10 times (Human Rights Watch, “Uganda: For Women with Disabilities, Barriers and Abuse,” accessed Jul. 29, 2020. https://www.hrw.org/news/2010/08/26/uganda-women-disabilities-barriers-and-abuse#). Additional research shows that abusers inflict more severe and frequent violence on women with disabilities.

Women with disabilities face many different types of physical, emotional, mental, and psychosocial violence.

Physical violence

Any act which causes physical harm as a result of unlawful physical force. Physical violence can take the form of, among others, serious and minor assault, deprivation of liberty and manslaughter.

Sexual violence

Any sexual act performed on an individual without their consent. Sexual violence can take the form of rape or sexual assault.

Psychological violence

Any act which causes psychological harm to an individual. Psychological violence can take the form of, for example, coercion, defamation, verbal insult or harassment.

Economic violence

Any act or behavior which causes economic harm to an individual. Economic violence can take the form of, for example, property damage, restricting access to financial resources, education or the labour market, or not complying with economic responsibilities, such as alimony.

It is also important to recognize that gender-based violence may be normalized and reproduced due to structural inequalities, such as societal norms, attitudes and stereotypes around gender generally and violence against women and girls with disabilities especifically.

In conclusion, Women and girls with disabilities suffer all these forms of violence mentioned above due to the fact that they are mostly stigmatized, discriminated against, dehumanized and isolated in their families, communities, work places and the society at large. Hence, much attention and resources are not provided by the government and stakeholders and philanthropists to address the various forms of violence metered out to women and girls with disabilities in the society. Moreover, the aspect of care and support from the government to women and girls with disabilities who are victims of violence have made them reluctant in reporting issues of violence to the public since most of their perpetrators live with them in their homes.

VOWACGhana takes this opportunity to urge the government through the ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, various stakeholders, non-profit organizations, the media and the general public to prioritize the physical, emotional, psychological and health needs of women and girls with disabilities; and their care givers in all endeavors, and to also create jobs that are accessible to women with disability.

Also, more funds and other resources should be channeled towards handling issues of violence pertaining to women and girls with disabilities.

SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com