‘Strategic plan imperative to address issues of people living with disability’

Stakeholders have underlined the need of addressing the concerns of women living with disability with formulation of a strategic plan. The rights of women with disabilities could be paid heed through strict enforcement of prevailing laws.

At an interaction organized by the National Women Commission (NWC) on ‘Protection of Rights of Women with Disabilities’ here Thursday, Chairperson of Women and Social Affairs Committee of House of Representatives, Kiran Kumar Shahi, however said the policy government brought to protect rights of people with disabilities was itself a challenge to this regard. “The voices of people with disabilities must be heard at the local level. As they are relatively weak to fend off attack, they are victims of violence,” she added.

NWC Chairperson Kamala Kumari Parajuli shared that NWC was formulating a work procedure to address the rights of people with disabilities in a planned manner. Suggestions would be taken both from government and non-government organizations for the empowerment of PWDs.

NWC Secretary Parbati Aryal suggested the people with disabilities to identify their potential and seek cooperation for its realization.

Similarly, Chairperson of the National Disabled Federation, Devi Datt Acharya, viewed, once the people with disabilities are ensured representation in all State bodies, their rights could be addressed well.

Chairperson of the Federation of Women with disabilities, Nirmala Dhital, suggested NWC to prepare directive and standards to facilitate women with disabilities’ access to justice.

Undersecretary at Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens, Nira Adhikari, said the constitutional bodies including NWC could hold policy level dialogue on such issued every year.

Programme coordinator at National Disabled Federation, Anjana Shrestha, presented a working paper in the programme. She informed that the women with disability were vulnerable to sexual and gender-based violence 10 times more than those of common woman as per a World Bank report.

Other speakers raised the issue of mainstreaming the people with disabilities into employment, identifying capacities of women living with disabilities and ensuring them easy and prompt access to justice.