News

Volume 3 Issue 2 - January 15, 2005

Special charter to protect rights of disabled women

DNIS News Network - Government asked to draw up a special charter to protect the rights of disabled women.

Concerned over the condition of millions of disabled women in the country, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has asked the Government to draw up a special charter to protect their rights and to provide insurance facilities to them. “Disabled people suffer a lot in this country and the condition of the women among them is especially bad,” said Poornima Advani, NCW Chairperson.

According to the 2001 Census, 42.46 per cent of the 21.9 million disabled people in the country were female. Over the past decade, the proportion of disabled women has gone up. “The NCW had organised a national consultation in Bangalore some time ago to identify key issues and challenges in creating a society which provides full justice to women with disabilities,” Advani said.

Indumati Rao, Regional Advisor of the NGO, CBR Network, that organised the consultation in association with NCW, said that there was widespread sexual exploitation of women with disabilities. “We also have recommended that there should be genetic counselling to prevent marriages within family which is an important cause of disabilities,” Rao said.

On the basis of the discussions, the NCW had drawn up a list of recommendations for the government, which included spelling out a special charter for protecting rights of disabled people with special provision for protection of rights of women with disability.

“There should also be separate directorate in all states for persons with disabilities, creation of a National Academy for them and insurance facilities should be extended to women with disabilities,” she added.