WUNRN
Joint UNDP
Pacific Centre and SPC Media Release
27
November, 2007
Girls & Women With Disabilities Call For More
Action
[Nadi, November 27] - More work needs to be done by Pacific Island governments, non government organizations (NGOs) and development partners to address the issues affecting girls and women with disabilities, a Roundtable on the Situation of Women and Girls with Disabilities in the Pacific heard today.
The Roundtable, organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Centre in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and attended by 30 participants from Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Tuvalu and Vanuatu; representing national and regional disabled persons’ organizations, women’s groups, government policy makers and development partners, discussed a draft report on the Situation of Girls and Women with Disabilities.
The report, commissioned by the UNDP Pacific Centre examines the challenges faced by girls and women with disabilities in 22 Pacific Island Countries and Territories; the social and economic factors leading to these challenges; and the existing laws, policies and programmes by national and local governments, civil society and the private sector as well as development partners to address challenges faced by girls and women with disabilities.
The draft report highlights that girls and women with disabilities in the Pacific face double discrimination because of their gender and disability; and are excluded from many social, cultural and economic activities. They face challenges in many areas, which include among others, accessing quality primary, secondary and tertiary education; accessing quality health care, finding employment, participating in cultural activities and starting a family.
The report calls for more commitment by governments, NGOs and development partners to protect the rights of girls and women with disabilities and ensure that they live with dignity.
Suki Beavers, the Human Rights Specialist at the UNDP Pacific Centre, reiterated the need for more work to address the issues faced by girls and women with disabilities.
“While some work has recently begun in the Pacific to document and appropriately respond to the situation of women and girls with disabilities, we are just beginning to see the implementation of rights-based laws, policies and programming that will respect, protect and fulfill the rights of women and girls with disabilities in the Pacific,” said Ms Beavers.
She said that the draft report identified areas in which government, NGOs and development partners could work to address the discrimination and lack of opportunities faced by girls and women with disabilities.
Ms Beavers said that the recent
adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provided
a much needed international framework to advance the rights of people with
disabilities. So far, out of the Pacific Island Countries, only
The Roundtable which started a day after the 16 Days of Activism against Violence against Women began, also recognised that girls and women with disabilities are more likely to experience gender based violence than other girls and women.
Participants contributed to a set of recommendations aimed at urging Pacific governments, NGOs and development partners to act rapidly to address the issues faced by girls and women with disabilities. These recommendations will be included in the final UNDP Pacific Centre report on the Situation of Girls and Women with Disabilities which will be finalized and published in early 2008.
[Ends]
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UNDP is the UN's
global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to
knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. The Pacific
Centre, UNDP’s knowledge and regional programme centre in
SPC, the
Secretariat of the Pacific Community, works in partnership with its members
which are 22 countries and territories of the Pacific, other organisations and
donors to deliver priority work programmes to member countries and territories.
SPC’s integrated work programme offers a unique approach to the development of
the region’s land, marine and human resources.
***
For further information contact Shobhna Decloitre
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