Our Key Messages to Governments:

All governments have obligations to mainstream and protect the rights of women and children with disabilities in their respective countries affected by humanitarian crises. Accordingly, governments should:

1. formulate and/or review favorable policies and laws for the protection and promotion of the rights, as well as the empowerment, of women and children with disabilities in humanitarian crises;
2. establish disability focal persons/desks in ministries responsible for humanitarian crises for purposes of monitoring policies and programs targeting women and children with disabilities in humanitarian crises;
3. provide accessible, comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services to women with disabilities in humanitarian crises.

Our Key Messages to United Nations Agencies:

UN specialized agencies should:

1. use networks such as NAWWD to connect to DPOs in each country;
2. form strategic alliances with women’s DPOs in host countries to develop training tool kits for country teams to understand disability and disability inclusion;
3. collect disaggregated data and analyze it to use for program purposes to include women and girls with disabilities in humanitarian situations;
4. support partner NGOs and host country DPOs to strengthen the capacity of women and girls with disabilities in camps and affected communities to represent themselves.

Our Key Messages to Civil Society Organizations (CSO):

CSOs should:

1. Women’s rights organizations should build partnership with women’s DPOs;
2. Consider the diverse needs, skills and capacities of women and girls with different categories of disabilities (such as; intellectual disabilities, mental disabilities, albinism)
3. Mainstream disability in women’s economic empowerment programs to minimize risks of GBV for women and girls with disabilities;
4. Advocate for access to targeted services for women and girls with disabilities (for example, inclusive education, dignified employment and comprehensive health services).

For more information, please contact: Roseweter Mudarikwa – Network of African Women with Disabilities (NAWWD) roseweter@gmail.com