A comprehensive progress report detailing the lived experiences, challenges, and aspirations of women and girls with disabilities in Ghana has been released by Voices of Women and Children with Disabilities (VOWAC), supported by the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF).
The report which was recently launched in Accra, offers a disability-inclusive perspective on gender equality and empowerment, aligned with the global Beijing +30 review framework.
The participatory nationwide assessment combined in-person consultations, online surveys, and extensive research to amplify the voices of over 110 participants from all 16 regions of Ghana. Central to the study were the firsthand testimonies of women and girls with disabilities, whose perspectives shed light on systemic barriers that continue to hinder their full inclusion in society.
“We owe a deep gratitude to the women and girls with disabilities who courageously shared their stories,” said the report’s acknowledgements. “Their resilience, agency, and determination are the foundation of this work.”
The report also highlights the crucial role of caregivers, whose often-invisible labour underscores the need for inclusive social protections and gender equality.
Civil society organisations, disability rights advocates, women’s groups, and community leaders actively contributed to the consultations, enriching the report’s findings with intersectional and rights-based insights.
The African Women’s Development Fund was recognised for its strategic support, enabling the meaningful participation of women and girls with disabilities in national and international dialogues on gender equality.
Key findings reveal that while Ghana has made legislative and policy strides toward disability inclusion such as the enactment of the Persons with Disability Act and gender-focused interventions, systemic barriers persist. These include limited political representation, inadequate access to education, healthcare, and employment, and high levels of stigma and gender-based violence. Caregivers of persons with disabilities also face significant socio-economic and emotional burdens, with minimal state support.
The report underscores the intersectionality of gender and disability and the urgent need to adopt a rights-based, inclusive, and responsive approach to addressing these overlapping vulnerabilities. It highlights personal testimonies that demonstrate both the resilience of women and girls with disabilities and the persistent discrimination they encounter. Major recommendations include:
– Implementation of affirmative action policies and political quotas to promote representation.
– Strengthening of inclusive education systems, healthcare access, and social protection schemes.
– Support for economic empowerment through grants, entrepreneurship programs, and inclusive employment policies.
– Institutionalization of continuous data collection and analysis through tools such as VOWAC’s Open Access Survey.
– Enhanced capacity-building and mentorship programmes targeting both women with disabilities and their caregivers.
This report is not only a documentation of progress and gaps; it is also a strategic call to action. It urges government agencies, civil society, development partners, and communities to commit to inclusive implementation of the Beijing Platform and to ensure that the unique voices and needs of women and girls with disabilities are prioritized in policy discourse and practice.
VOWAC’s ongoing efforts, including the production of Volume II of this report, will provide a more extensive longitudinal analysis in preparation for global engagements beyond 2025. This work affirms that true gender equality cannot be achieved without disability inclusion and provides a clear roadmap for building a more just, inclusive, and empowered society.
In 1995, the Fourth World Conference on Women culminated in the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA), a landmark global agenda that outlined strategic objectives for the empowerment and advancement of women and girls.
As the international community approaches the 30th anniversary (Beijing+30) of this historic framework, there is a critical need to assess the extent to which the rights and priorities of women and girls with disabilities have been addressed within national and global development agendas.
Women and girls with disabilities represent a diverse and resilient population that faces compounded layers of discrimination, exclusion, and marginalisation. They often navigate structural barriers related to gender, disability, poverty, and systemic inequality — barriers that are further exacerbated by limited representation in decision-making processes and inadequate access to education, healthcare, employment, and justice.
Despite the inclusion of disability rights in key international frameworks such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the lived experiences of this demographic continue to be underrepresented in policy discourse.
In Ghana, while notable progress has been made in advancing gender equality and disability inclusion, women and girls with disabilities remain largely invisible in national data systems, policy implementation, and development programming. There is a persistent gap between policy intentions and practical realities, especially concerning their access to inclusive education, healthcare, social protection, and economic empowerment.
SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com
