It was a gathering for cross-fertilization of ideas and useful suggestions on Wednesday in Osogbo as the Center for Women’s Health and Information held a Townhall meeting with stakeholders to discuss ways to eradicate violence and discrimination against persons with disabilities.
At the Townhall meeting, held in collaboration the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities and Community Advancement Initiative for Self Reliance, stakeholders hammered on the importance of proper education for people with disabilities.
The hall meeting which was held on Wednesday at the Ministry of Information in Osogbo, with theme “Strengthening Existing VAWG/SGBV Prevention and Response Structure.”
According to organisers, the objective of the meeting was to prevent sexual abuse and discrimination through awareness, foster positive attitudes, and eliminate stigmatization.
Emphasizing on the importance of the programme, while speaking with InsightMedia, The director of the Center for Women’s Health and Information, Atinuke Odukoya, spoke on purpose of strengthening prevention and responding to issues concerning women and girls with disabilities.
She also highlighted the importance of providing essential resources, she said “we need to make provisions for people with disabilities such as wheelchairs, rails, sign language interpreters are just the basic things that should be made available”
Speaking on the impact of GBV/SGBV on girls and women with disabilities, participants discussed solutions, urging the government to enhance infrastructure accessibility for people with disabilities, especially in hospitals, schools and police stations.
Parents were advised to be attentive to the needs of their wards, particularly females with disabilities.
Abdulai Funmilayo, a member of JONAPWDS, encouraged women and girls with disabilities to advocate for themselves, emphasizing that the change begins from within. “this program is very important and I always tell the women and girls to always speak for themselves as no one will help them if they don’t begin to fight for themselves”
Lola Way, A human rights activists emphasized the vulnerability of women and girls with disabilities, calling for increased societal awareness and understanding of their needs.
She also spoke on the challenges faced by the people living with disabilities, such as discriminations, unaccesibility to basic facilities, unheard voice, lack of self esteem, inability to get justice, among others. She implored the society to be more conscious of the needs of people with disabilities.
Mrs. Eni Ayeni, the Director of CAI4SR, explained that proper education for people with disabilities could reduce their vulnerability to gender-based violence.
The program concluded with a call for collective efforts to create an inclusive society that addresses the challenges faced by people living with disabilities, fostering empathy and understanding throughout the community.
Stakeholders also geared up for actions towards ensuring passage of Osun Disability Bill.
