Wednesday 13th March 2019
Today I attended 2 sessions examining where gender intersects with disability. Access to Justice For Women with Disabilities which focused on women and girls in Africa (Disability Rights Fund Inc./Urgent Action Fund Africa) and the second was More than a Footnote (DAWN Canada).
To see how organisations in two very different parts of the world are trying to achieve by raising the profile (and voices) of women with all forms of disabilities is powerful and thought provoking. The place to start is how does our feminist movement give voice to ALL women?
DAWN presented that 15% of the population are people living with disabilities with 85% living in the global south. That is 1/2 billion people globally making up the largest minority group in the world (in this context). It is also believed that 70 million are people living with Hearing Impairment. Of course these figures are estimates as this depends on data being collected, based on what is reported or identified, often by the person themselves.
For women and girls in Africa, the resources to enable women and girls to engage with the society around them that they are isolated and locked into their own experiences. This is why national and international law is essential to try to provide a level playing field.
In Canada 1 in 7 of those who are 15y.o+ have a disability and live in poverty. They are also 2 times more likely to be victims of violent crime or sexual abuse. And despite being on the other side of the world, the sisters in Africa are facing similar experiences, excluded from the social protections that are 'enjoyed' by the majority. One group that were mentioned were sisters who developed disabilities as a result of violence towards them, for example the thousands of women who have head injuries which have developed into disabilities. Women who are escaping violent and abusive domestic situations, who depend on the justice system to keep them safe.
The seminar was told how that sisters with disabilities in Africa are easily discredited by the justice system. The lack of trained interpreters who know sign language has an impact when it comes to reporting crime. There is literally no way to have their voices heard, if these sisters are unable to communicate to the reporting police officer/station.
They can't give a statement or speak in court. In some cases where there is an interpreter, the women will often agree with what they are being asked or told as their voices are distilled through the court appointed interpreter who they haven't had a chance to develop a trusting relationship with, who are also often men.
In addition to this we see how the justice system is used to discredit and alienate the agency of our sisters with disabilities. We have women with psychological-social disabilities being disenfranchised with the term 'of sound mind' where they are stripped of their voices.
One example given was of a young woman who was in care having an application for guardianship made against her because she was in what was seen as an 'inappropriate' sexual relationship. Instead of talking to the woman and empowering her with some agency over her body and her life, the decision was to take away all of her individual rights.
The answer has to start with, how do we hear the voices of our sisters with disabilities so they can tell us their experiences and their needs. We can not let a homogenous feminist movement speak on behalf of 'all' women without listening to the voices of 'all' women at every step of the journey.
It's also important to remember that as well as being a woman or girl with a disability, they also may have additional cultural ideindities to recognise as well ie ethnicity/nationality/sexual orientation etc. As a feminist movement it is crucial that women are given spaces where they can articulate their experiences and given the tools to add their demands to the feminist agenda too.
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