LETS SUPPORT PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Women and girls with disabilities must not be left behind

Date: 13 June 2016

The ninth session of the Conference of the States parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) taking place in New York from 14 to 16 June 2016, will focus on “Implementing the 2030 development agenda for all persons with disabilities: Leaving no one behind.” UN Women is calling for strengthened partnerships with women and girls with disabilities and their organizations to address the barriers to their participation and decision-making.
This year marks 10 years since the adoption of the Convention, with gender equality a key principle of the Convention. Furthermore, Article 6 of the Convention calls for actions to ensure that women and girls with disabilities are able to enjoy and exercise their human rights.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer an unprecedented opportunity to drive lasting change for all women’s rights and equality, including women and girls with disabilities. Making this agenda come to life needs programmes and policies that are informed by high quality and timely data, disaggregated by sex and disability. Supporting the collection and analysis of disability statistics will be a central feature in UN Women’s new Flagship Programme Initiative on gender data and statistics.

Marie Bangura. Photo: Laura Cook/Laura Cook Photography

Nearly one in five women live with disabilities [1]. However, disabled women and girls remain at the margins of decision-making and their specific needs were largely invisible until recently, both to advocates of women’s rights and disability rights. In humanitarian contexts, women and girls with disabilities face even more discrimination, adding to an already heightened risk of violence and exploitation.
- See more at: http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2016/6/women-and-girls-with-disabilities-must-not-be-left-behind#sthash.16UqsSAl.dpuf