A group advocating for the protection of the rights of women with disabilities, Women Initiative for Leadership Strategy and Innovation in Africa has called for improved access to sexual and reproductive health and rights services for women and girls with disabilities.
The group made the demand yesterday when it visited the corporate head office of LEADERSHIP Media Group Limited in Abuja, to seek partnership for public sensitisation on the need for disability-friendly sexual and reproductive health and rights services for women and girls with disabilities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The executive director of the group, Women Africa, Chinwe Onyeukwu, called for the implementation of the National Policy on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Persons with Disabilities with emphasis on women and girls.
She said, “Our programme is aimed at improving access to sexual and reproductive health and rights for women and girls with disabilities and to health facilities in FCT and part of the reason why we are here to partner with you given that most at times issues that have to do with disability are not really given adequate space for discussions and specially for this project, sexual and reproductive health as we all know is a human right.
“Often time, persons with disabilities, especially women do not have enough information when it has to do with the healthcare that has to do with them personally as a human being. Sometimes, people believe that women with disabilities are not supposed to have anything to do with reproductive health, they are blind why should they have children? Who will cater for their children?
“Sometimes why should they get pregnant? How would they push the pregnancy? And so these are the issues that made them have restrictive information, restrictive access and restrictive opportunities.
On her part, Beatrice Mube Awala, said the organisation’s main reason for the visit was to sensitise the public on the need to ensure that women and girls with disabilities of reproductive age are given due attention.
Responding, the head of story, LEADERSHIP Group Mr Bayo Amodu, said the organisation was opened to any policy that corrects the society in the best possible way without discrimination.
“So, we want to assure you that we are part of you and we lend our voices to your calls. Everybody should participate in taking care of people that are physically challenged,” Amodu said.
Also, the managing editor of LEADERSHIP, Raliat Ahmed-Yusuf, said the company’s doors are wide open to help fight the course, saying that people with disabilities face so many challenges in the country.
