International Women's Day: Physically Challenged Women Call for Inclusion in Decision Making

Daily Rendezvous

Voice of Disability Initiative (VDI) says the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has excebated pre-existing inequalities and systemic barriers facing women and vulnerable groups in Nigeria and that there is an urgent need for governmnent at all levels to device and implement plans and strategies to empower women and the physically challenged persons in the country.

Voice of Disability said the Covid-19 pandemic has deepen the social and economic distress faced by people with disability including the demand for social distancing which has drastically compounded the already distressed and challenged life of people living with disability and government must act fast to make their lives better.

This is contained in a press statement issued by the Chief Executive Officer of the Voice of Disability, Edeh Catherine, at an event marking the International Women's Day, in Yola, Adamawa state.

Edeh maintained that the federal government need to scale up its strategy for inclusion and mainstreaming of all women especially women with Disability into leadership position in order to give them a voice in the society and to enable them cope with the economic and social challenges cause by Covid-19 pandemic.

Edeh said, "For this year, the covid-19 pandemic had exacerbated the pre-existing inequalities and systemic barriers to women's participation and leadership. The emergence of the pandemic also brings new barriers where vulnerable women are facing increased domestic violence, unemployment, unpaid or reduced salaries, poverty and some of them having a hard time to provide basic needs for the family under their care.

"These intersecting problems to women face because of the pandemic is often not narrowed to shed spotlights into the myriads of problems and practices that the COVID-19 brought about to the already distressed and challenged lives of women and girls with Disabilities, like the social distancing strategy and COVID-19 guidelines which do not consider the specific and unique needs of people with disabilities, especially women and children with Disabilities who need aids and assistance from other individuals mobility-wise"

The group stressed that people with disabilities must be given opportunities across all levels of governments and that state governments must do better to further the cause of the physically challenged.

Speaking at the occasion, representative of UN women, Grace Ilori said, women need to be included at decision making levels of government, businesses and communities.

Ilori pointed out that, the International Women's Day is marked as a day for accelerating calls for women's equality and generational equality.

Ilori said, "Women of the world want and deserve an equal future free from stigma, stereotypes and violence; a future that’s sustainable, peaceful, with equal rights and opportunities for all. 

"To get us there, the world needs women at every table where decisions are being made.

"Women’s full and effective participation and leadership in all areas of life drives progress for everyone. 

"Yet, women are still underrepresented in public life and decision-making, as revealed in the UN Secretary General's Report."

She added that, "Women are Heads of State or Government in 22 countries, and only 24.9 per cent of national parliamentarians are women. 

"At the current rate of progress, gender equality among Heads of Government will take another 130 years.

"Research shows that women and girls with disabilities are at a heightened risk of violence and remain excluded from basic services such as health, employment, education, etc."

Some of the physically challenged people speaking at the occasion called on the Adamawa state government to have special considerations for people living with disability especially in terms of employment, education and economic empowerment.

They noted that people living with disabilities deserve a better and good life that everyone has and that it is only proper that the society supports them in the midst of a pandemic.