In a bid to protect and create a safe space for women and girls with disabilities from any form of abuse, and provide an enabling environment for them, the Centre for Women’s Health and Information (CEWHIN) has signed a sustainability plan with Osun State government and other relevant stakeholders to further this cause.
The Institutionalising of community task force and sign-off of the technical action and sustainability plan on prevention and response to women and girls with disabilities, was held on Wednesday in Osogbo.
The event was attended by representatives from the Ministries of Women and Children and Social Welfare, Justice and Health; security agencies, other relevant ministries , departments and agencies of the government, stakeholders, and persons with disabilities.
While speaking with the newsmen, the Director of CEWHIN, Mrs Atinuke Odukoya explained the aim of the plan and intending goals of the technical action.
“The sign-off is committed to ensuring that the state is safe for women and girls with disabilities, so they are not abused sexually, violently, physically or otherwise.
“All of the Ministries of Justice, Health, Women, Children and Social Welfare, Youths and Special Needs are all in part of this.
“What we’ve tried to do is to ensure that there strengthened coordination and collaboration amongst of the institutions responsible for ensuring that there’s no longer gender-based violence against women and girls with disabilities.
While speaking on sustainability, Odukoya said, “Our aim is that when the project ends, the stakeholders within the State will take it on and continue to engage and ensure the implementation of things that we have promised to do.
“Part of what we’ve done is to ensure a collaboration with the community task force this is not all about the CEWHIN.
It is their responsibility to also hold themselves responsible for the implementation. We also have a monitoring plan which is based on how we are going to track and follow up with what we said we are going to do and to ensure it’s been done
“We need Osun state to be safe for women and girls with disabilities”, she reiterated.
Oba Dr Adedokun Abolarin, the Orangun of Oke-Ila applauded the organisation and stakeholders for seeking to protect and create a safe space for women and girls with disabilities.
The monarch said, “It’s a collaborative and coordinated effort and that’s what we are trying to do to make participatory and let people know we all have equal rights within the constitution.
“We are all created equally and have equal rights. So any destructive tendencies need to stop especially those of us in the rural parts of the State.
“Be it girls with disabilities, we shouldn’t treat others with disabilities badly. Rape cases are a State matter, not in-house discussions or matters resolved at Palaces. In fact, the Palace should stopped interfering in cases of rape and let the right authorities handle them for an enabling environment for the girls.”
Chairman of House committee on youth, sports and special needs, Abiola Awoyeye commended the organisation while also calling for more participation of key stakeholders to protect women and girls with disabilities.
The Chairman of Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities, Osun State, Stephen Olufemi commended the initiative while explaining that it was a long sought solution that would protect women and girls with disabilities from any form of abuse.
“It’s a very important solution that we’ve been expecting because it will save our people most especially our women with disabilities and children, this problem will be solved through this sign-off.
“We also commend the stakeholders who contributed to the success of this plan, and we urge for quick implementation of this law”, he added.
The CEWHIN project is funded by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) , a project initiated to protect Women and Girls, and also Women and Girls with Disabilities across the Country.
The task force members were formally introduced to the attendees of the event, while stakeholders were tasked to do more for the persons with disabilities.
