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Women with disabilities report widespread stigma, ranging from their families to wider structural discrimination. A Study by the Stars of Hope Association in Palestine found that women with disabilities usually face double discrimination and marginalization when compared to other people and women without disabilities.
Wednesday- 14 December 2022- Ramallah| The Palestinian Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) and the Stars of Hope Association, with support from UNDP and UN Women in Palestine through the Sawasya II Joint Programme: Promoting Rule of Law in the State of Palestine, convened a forum entitled “Stigma and Discrimination experienced by Women with Disabilities” as part of the multi-country project “Addressing stigma and discrimination for empowering women and girls with disabilities and protecting them from violence“ funded by the UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The forum focused on the findings of two unique pieces of research, the first is on addressing stigma and discrimination for empowering women and girls with disabilities and protecting them from violence while the second is on the root causes of discrimination against women with disabilities.
Some of the findings of these research show deeper insights in the root causes of stigma and discrimination women with disabilities face, also includes new data on the levels and forms of stigma and violence, while also reflecting on the women’s low level of knowledge and awareness of their rights. The research also details women’s experiences with exclusion from services and social events, denial or loss of jobs, and the difficulties they face in accessing public space, transport etc. and highlights the impact of the occupation on women with disabilities, in particularly in terms of violent abuse by the Israeli occupying forces. The findings of the research are based on a new tool, developed in partnership with University College London’s Unit for Stigma Research. This tool promises to improve the understanding of the range of stigmatizing experiences faced by women with diverse disabilities and the role of intersecting sources of inequalities and eventually empowerment of women with disabilities and reducing violence. The forum, held at the PRCS in Ramallah, brought together Palestinian government institutions and women-led civil society organizations, and presented the research findings which will feed into strategies and interventions to effectively address stigma and discrimination of women with disabilities by line ministries and civil society organizations.
During the forum, the Deputy for Social Welfare and Protection at the Ministry of Social Development, Kholoud Abdul Khaleq, commented, "we decided to organize a forum that sheds light every year on a specific topic within the full set of rights, as this allows us to monitor challenges and consider how to develop tools. This forum ““Addressing stigma and discrimination for empowering women and girls with disabilities and protecting them from violence” supported by the Ministry of Social Development, in coordination with all local, governmental, and international institutions aims primarily to support persons with disabilities. She added, "The State of Palestine ratified the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and we submitted the first report to the United Nations. Under this convention we prepared a draft law that is consistent with international rights; it is what our people deserve. This draft is with the Cabinet and is awaiting subsequent drafts and implementation or law endorsement.” Finally, we hope that we will have an important theme for the forum every year that builds on the achievements and we look forward to more success.
Speaking on behalf of UNDP and UN Women in Palestine, the Sawasya II Joint Programme Manager, D. Christopher Decker, said “Today we listen to the findings of unique research. As Sawasya we are eager to support our national partners in translating the new data available on the levels and forms of stigma and violence into advocacy, strengthening policies, services for prevention of violence against women with disabilities and interventions aiming for changed attitudes and behavior of rights holders and duty bearers.”
On her part the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Stars of Hope Association, Ms. Safiya Al Ali stated that the association worked in the past to institutionalize work on the Inclusion and Disability Program, which aims to understand the repercussions and to monitor the changes on this portfolio, “The association strengthened its interventions through the partnership with UN Women, UNDP, and the Ministry of Social Development within the scope of the Sawasya program. This partnership basis itself on many effective and qualitative interventions, including the localization of a tool for measuring societal stigma against women with disabilities, which the association participated in its localization. Additionally, the partnership led to working on a study on the root causes of societal stigma towards women with disabilities, which was presented as a solid foundation from which priorities and interventions are set in a purposeful manner. We hope that within the parameters of this study and its results that work will be done to adopt these results and build outputs and recommendations to contribute to changing the reality of women with disabilities and access to decision-making policies that empower action toward combating and eliminating this stigma.”
It is worth mentioning that women with diverse disabilities have been closely involved in the work in the four countries including Palestine, Moldova, Pakistan, and Samoa. These countries act as pilot sites in seeking to develop a comprehensive understanding of stigmatising experiences of women and girls with disabilities and how to tackle them effectively.
Media contacts:
For the Sawasya II Joint Programme (UNDP, UN Women and UNICEF) : Fidaa Maaytah, Communication Coordinator, mobile: +970 59 3020 717, email: fida.maaytah@undp.org