Women With Disabilities in Ebonyi State have avowed their determination to push for the domestication of the disability law in the State.
The group made the commitment during a two-day advocacy training and capacity building for women with disabilities.
This was organised by the Joint National Association of Persons with disabilities and some Civil Society Organisations in the State.
The event, which was held on Friday and Saturday in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, was facilitated by a Rights Organization, Hope Inspired Foundation for Women and Youth.
It was part of the organisation’s project: “Advancing Rights of Women in Ebonyi State,” supported by the Disability Rights Fund.
The programme birthed the inauguration of a 10-man Technical Working Committee to advance and protect the rights of women and girls with disabilities.
Speaking to newsmen, a participant and member of the Technical Working Committee, Stella Egwu, decried the level of exclusion, deprivation and discrimination suffered by people with disabilities in the State.
She expressed optimism that domesticating and passing the disability law in the State would bring positive changes in the general perception about PWDs, especially women who are much more vulnerable.
Egwu emphasised: “In Ebonyi State, frankly speaking, there is no disability inclusion.
“People with disabilities are regarded as less privileged.
“We are not seen as people capable of contributing anything to the growth of the State.
“I think we still have a long way to go, but we will keep pushing until a difference is made.
“We will try our best to advocate, meet with relevant stakeholders for them to make sure that women with disabilities are carried along, and also that this Disability Bill is domesticated in Ebonyi State.
“If this Disability Bill is passed, it will bring a lot of changes in issues of disability welfare in the State.”
Another member of the Committee, Elizabeth Agbo, described her membership of the Committee as a dream come true, stating that she had longed for such a platform to enable her to speak up with impact on issues affecting their group.
Agbo emphasised: “I feel so excited because this is an opportunity I have been looking for: a means of expressing my thoughts.
“I am a woman with a disability and I know the pains we are going through.
“It has been my innermost desire to speak out for the welfare of our group, and I think this organisation has given me the platform to actualise that.”
The duo pledged to work assiduously with other relevant stakeholders to justify the confidence reposed in them by the organisation.
They called on the Ebonyi State Government to expedite action on domesticating the law in the State.
Inaugurating the committee, the Volunteer Board Chairman of the Organisation, Ejiro Okotie, lamented that women with disabilities are much more vulnerable to sexual and other abuses.
Okotie charged the committee to synergise with relevant CSOs, other bodies and influencers to ensure that specific needs of the group are imputed into the State policy instruments.
She further charged them to work towards achieving the domestication and signing of the disability law in the State, leveraging on the opportunity offered by the change of administration.
Okotie stressed: “On a regular basis, the rights of women with disabilities are violated with impunity, while authorities, policy makers and the public show insensitivity.
“Most often, women with disabilities get sex by chance, not by choice.
“There are also gaps in policies and laws speaking specifically to the needs of women with disabilities on issues around Gender-Based violence.
“The main goal of the Technical working committee is to work closely with the Hope Inspired Foundation as well as the Joint Association of Persons with Disabilities and other clusters of Women With Disabilities to see that their rights are protected, and their interest actively represented in policy matters in the State.
“They are like a bridge between the women with disabilities and the ability community with the mainstream, working with support from Hope Inspired Foundation.
“Part of what we are doing is to see how we can review the disability draft to reflect specific needs of women with disabilities in Ebonyi State, and also see how we can engage with stakeholders to ensure that we achieve our goal of having it signed.
“It is our desire to have the official launch of the law in the State on this year’s International day of disabilities, December 3.”
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The HIFWYD State Programme Lead, Oluchi Nwite, explained that the essence of the ARWE project is to provide visibility for women with disabilities in GBV response, and also advocate for enabling policy environments for the enactment of disability law in Ebonyi State.
Lead Resource person at the event, Dr. Ibiam Azu-Agwu, took participants on various topics bordering on steps for effective advocacy, advocacy process and advocacy goals and objectives.
There were also lectures on project implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
The TWC is made up of only women, mainly with various forms of disability.