Women with disabilities attend an SRHR workshop in Lahore, Pakistan
The largest minority in this world is the disabled population as said by United Nation’s Enable. Majority of them are living in the South Asia and the largest chunk comprises of women. Even being one of the most vulnerable and visible part of a society, equal representation is not visible on leadership platforms for all issues.
Though a lot of initiatives are being taken on local, national and Global level and much progress is being seen, yet the disability voice is often missing from the table where human rights are being discussed. Pakistan too is trying to catch up on disability leadership of the world by helping disable person’s organizations (DPOs) so they can come forward and equally participate.
National Forum for women with disabilities is one such organization working to give women with disabilities (WWDs) a leadership platform. On the other hand no one can deny the importance of human rights and within that the awareness and right to awareness of one’s sexual rights to oneself and each other. Sadly this initiative for WWDs have been missing or limited for a very long time.
A common misconception that WWDs don’t have a sexual life or don’t face reproductive problems is very much common. Many women have become disabled due to unsafe abortions or other unsafe reproductive treatments. The most common and basic problem is lack of mediums to the latest, authentic and comprehensive education.
Keeping such issues in mind, National Forum for women with disabilities (NFFWDs) and Asia Safe Abortion Partnership (ASAP) partnered to initiate and launch a project that will not just educate WWDs about safe abortion, reproductive rights and healthy sex life but train them to become peer educators for the disable and non-disable women in their community. For the very first time we initiated a training and developed a council of women within the forum to work for WWDs sexual reproductive and health rights (SRHR).