This report certainly contains some crucial info regarding the gender gap within the disabled population. One can identify certain positive as well as negative aspects of this report.
First, this report exposes the existing myth that disabled people can have a better life in certain so called developed countries like the United States. Second, It draws our attention towards the patriarchal nature of the state where by certain institutions like court use the gendered positions of the disabled as a tool to delay or to certain extent even deny legal justice. Just to give an example, A visually impaired girl got raped two years a go here in New York and it seems that the criminal man promised her to show her the directions. Now this case has completely died down after two years and I am sure that she will have to face disgusting questions if this case is taken to the court. Having identified the positive aspects of the report, I would like to draw your attention to the negative aspects of the report. While certainly it is essential to document certain disgusting practices of some regions and the impact of such practices on disabled women, the report unfortunately fails to identify some of the disgusting practices of the so called developed countries there by appealing to the popular sentiment that disgusting practices are common for the so called third world countries and we are far more civilized than them. Second, As I mentioned a few weeks a go, the term disability in the United States is a broad concept and it includes wide range of temporary as well as permanent physical impairments. For example, A diabetes patient can also be categorized as disabled. Certainly I am all in favor of certain benefits reaching out to the wider population, but because of the vagueness in defining disability, people with permanent disability are either side-lined or completely neglected from certain sectors. Last but not the least, the methodology of the report is not clear. Since the data has been gathered through crude statistical survey, I am afraid that there are so many qualitative aspects of the disabled missing from this data. More significantly we require data from the disabled population of India and my hope is that many of these issues will be addressed while conducting research. Vetri. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Taraprakash" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 9:12 AM Subject: Re: [AI] A Burning Issues(replies) > Hi. Below is the remainder of the report as promised. > > > . The labor market does not adequately accommodate disabled women, nor are > there sufficient laws to prevent and punish harassment - either sexual > harassment > or harassment on the basis of disability. According the United Nations, > only > one quarter of women with disabilities worldwide is in the workforce. They > are twice as unlikely to find work as disabled men. In the United States, > disabled men earned 55 percent more than disabled women in 1994-95. > . There are reports of high rates physical and sexual abuse against > disabled > women and girls living in institutions for the disabled. In some > countries, > disabled women living in institutions are abused at twice the rate as > those > living in the community. > . In Africa, where the myth that having sex with a virgin can cure a > person > of HIV/AIDS, women and girls with disabilities are targeted for rape > because > they are presumed to be asexual and thus virgins. > . The combination of discrimination on the basis of gender and disability > results in low literacy rates for women and girls with disabilities and > low > rates > of school attendance. UNESCO estimates that the overall literacy rate for > persons with disabilities worldwide is 3 percent, and for disabled women > and > girls it is 1 percent. One source says that less than 2 percent of > children > with disabilities are attending any form of schools, but no gender > breakdown > of that number is available. In the U.S., disabled women are five times > more > likely than non-disabled women to have fewer than eight years of > schooling. > Particularly for girls who do not attend school, information on > reproductive > health is less available, leading to the unsurprising result in the U.S. > that > young women with disabilities are significantly more likely to be mothers > three to five years after leaving school than non-disabled young women. > Studies > in the U.S. also show that disabled students experience higher rates of > sexual harassment in schools, and disabled girls face higher rates than > disabled > boys. > . Disability benefits are lower for disabled women than for disabled men > in > some countries, such as Canada. These benefits are tied to work and > earning > histories, thus penalizing women who face discrimination in the labor > sector > and lower wages than men. > list end > > Although human rights abuses against women and girls are rampant, they are > largely ignored. Justice systems fail to accommodate disability, making it > difficult > for women to prove abuses of their human rights. For example, some courts > will not entertain allegations of sexual violence brought by blind women, > because > of supposed difficulties in identifying the perpetrator. In terms of donor > attention, bilateral assistance to address the needs of disabled people is > rare, > and poverty reduction strategies often ignore both the issues of disabled > people and issues of gender. > > Background on the Draft Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the > Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities > > Since 2001, there has been serious movement toward an international treaty > on disability rights. The General Assembly adopted resolution in 2001 > which > established > an ad hoc committee to work on such a treaty. By July 2005, the ad hoc > committee has had five major meetings and has produced a draft treaty > covering a > wide variety of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. > The > ad hoc committee's sixth meeting takes place from August 1-12, 2005. > > In terms of women's rights in the draft convention, they are addressed in > many of the articles (e.g., ones dealing with statistics and data > collection, > equality and nondiscrimination, violence, work, participation in political > and public life, education, health care, privacy and family issues, and > social > security.) There is also a proposal that there be an additional article > specifically on women's rights to highlight the fact that disabled women > suffer > distinct discrimination from disabled men. > > The United Nations " > Enable" > website has comprehensive information on the drafting process for the > disability treaty. > > The language of the current draft of the treaty must be drawn from four > different documents that reflect the status of negotiations on various > articles. > They key documents are: > List of 4 items > . The > original draft convention from January 2004, > which proposed language for Articles 1-25. > . A series of > suggestions > from member states on the treaty as a whole, set forth in the 3rd ad hoc > committee report from May-June 2004. This document includes proposed > article > 15bis > specifically on women. > . The > 4th ad hoc committee report from August - September 2004, > which summarizes the member states' basic agreement on Articles 4-7(4). > . The > 5th ad hoc committee report from January-February 2005, > which summarizes the member states' basic agreement on articles > 7(5)-14(bis). > list end > Regards > > original message > > >> Here is a bit for those who want to work more in this field. >> >> Women and Girls with Disabilities >> >> Human Rights Watch is committed to promoting the human rights of all >> persons, and is supportive of the movement toward codification of a >> specific >> international >> human rights treaty on disability rights. We are concerned that the >> current >> draft of the treaty does not yet adequately protect the human rights of >> women >> and girls. This website and the linked documents provide background on >> this >> issue and suggest improvements for the treaty. >> List of 3 items >> . Background on Abuses of Disabled Women's and Girls' Rights >> . Background on the Draft Comprehensive and Integral International >> Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of >> Persons with >> Disabilities >> . Human Rights Watch letter outlining concerns about the draft disability >> treaty >> list end >> >> Background on Abuses of Disabled Women's and Girls' Rights >> >> Approximately 300 million women around the world have mental and physical >> disabilities. Women constitute 75 percent of the disabled people in low >> and >> middle >> income countries. Women with disabilities comprise 10 percent of all >> women >> worldwide. >> >> Women are more likely than men to become disabled during their lives, due >> in >> part to gender bias in the allocation of scarce resources and in access >> to >> services. When ill, girls and women are less likely to receive medical >> attention than boys and men, particularly in developing countries where >> medical >> care may be a considerable distance from home. They are also less likely >> to >> receive preventive care, such as immunizations. Due to social, cultural >> and >> religious factors, disabled women are less likely than men to make use of >> existing social services, including residential services, and it is >> estimated >> that disabled women worldwide receive only 20 percent of the >> rehabilitation. >> A study in the Asia Pacific region found that more than 80 percent of >> disabled >> women had no independent means of livelihood, and thus were totally >> dependent on others. According to the World Health Organization, girls >> with >> disabilities >> may be more readily institutionalized than boys. >> >> Disabled women and girls face the same spectrum of human rights abuses >> that >> non-disabled women face, but their social isolation and dependence >> magnifies >> these abuses and their consequences. Women and girls with disabilities >> fare >> less well on most indicators of educational, professional, financial, and >> social >> success than their non-disabled female and disabled male counterparts. In >> some countries, laws overtly discriminate against disabled women and men, >> including >> by barring them from marrying if they have any form of mental disability. >> >> Even where the laws are not discriminatory, disabled women and girls face >> a >> host of abuses at the hands of their families, communities, and the >> state. >> Though >> definitive data is rare, there is some evidence that disabled women and >> girls face higher rates of violence and discrimination than non-disabled >> women. >> List of 8 items >> . Disabled women's sexual and reproductive rights are grossly abused. >> They >> experience forced sterilization; forced abortion due to discriminatory >> attitudes >> about their parenting abilities; and denial of information about >> reproductive health and contraceptives. When seeking reproductive health >> care, disabled >> women often face abusive treatment at the hands of physicians who do not >> understand their particular circumstances. A study in the U.S. showed >> that >> women >> with disabilities were significantly less likely to receive pelvic exams >> than non-disabled women. >> . Disabled women also face limitations on their rights to marry and found >> a >> family, and often lose of custody of their children. In some countries, >> it >> is >> almost impossible for disabled women to adopt children. >> . Disabled women face high rates of violence, both at the hands of family >> members and of personal assistants. Their dependence on their caregivers >> makes >> it even more difficult for them to pursue a remedy than for non-disabled >> women. Even where shelters are available for survivors of domestic >> violence, >> they >> are rarely accessible for disabled women. Research indicates that the >> violence faced by disabled women may be more chronic and severe, and >> takes >> some unique >> forms, such as withholding of essential care and medication. It seems >> also >> to be more prevalent: surveys conducted in Europe, North America, and >> Australia >> have shown that over half of disabled women have experienced physical >> abuse, >> compared to one-third of non-disabled women. In the United States, >> children >> with disabilities are almost twice as likely to experience sexual abuse >> as >> non-disabled children. >> >> >> (To be continued on Monday Unless the "law" stops me) >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "smriti singh" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> To: <[email protected]> >> Sent: Monday, December 04, 2006 3:54 PM >> Subject: [AI] A Burning Issues(replies) >> >> >>> Dear list members, >>> >>> I don't have regular access to internet, otherwise I >>> would have participated fully in the discussion. >>> Anyway, here are my quick comments on all the >>> responses: >>> >>> To begin with, I feel that not much replies have come >>> on the basic issue I raised. I am actually talking >>> about institutions who keep visually challenged girls. >>> Either they have schools for them, or they provide >>> hostels. I think we all know that girls are not safe >>> there. It does not mean that all the institutions run >>> in the same manner. >>> >>> As far as one's isolation is concerned, university >>> students, particularly visually challenged, are >>> already isolated. So, I'm not scared of being >>> isolated. I do agree that institution like Nab raise >>> their problem concerning to study, but no institution >>> take care about their social rights. Even for >>> scholarships, some institutions do not allow girls to >>> use their institutions' address. So, they have to give >>> address of their friends for receiving the >>> scholarship. >>> >>> I'm also very upset that women have not responded on >>> this issue. Most of us talked about the self-defence >>> and martial arts, but do we think our visually >>> challenged girls have enough sex education? That is >>> why they are more vulnerable. So, before teaching any >>> self-defence trick, I think it is necessary for >>> visually challenged women to understand what they have >>> to protect themselves from. I would like to inform all >>> of you that I am not thinking about this issue only >>> since that NDTV report. I am thinking about this issue >>> for a long time. I have worked on a project with Prof. >>> Romila Thapar. For that project, we had conducted >>> interviews of visually challenged girls. Besides, I >>> have many visually challenged friends who are staying >>> in such hostels. So we know what situation is like. I >>> and Mr. Shobhan Singh have written a joint article >>> about visually challenged women which was published in >>> International Journal of Disability. So, it is not >>> that we are unaware about laws. There are certain >>> governmental law, true. But, when these NGOs for women >>> go to register themselves, they are not asked what >>> precautions they are going to take to ensure safety of >>> those women. In other words, there are no code of >>> conduct that governs these NGOs or institutions. >>> >>> Being an academician does not mean that one cannot >>> raise social issues or one is unaware about it. I >>> would like to request all access India members that, >>> more than anything, it is necessary to spread >>> awareness about the entire matter. >>> >>> With Regards, >>> >>> >>> >>> Smriti Singh >>> Programme: M. Phil (English Literature) >>> Room # 03 >>> Sabarmati Hostel >>> Jawaharlal Nehru University >>> >>> >>> >>> ____________________________________________________________________________________ >>> Have a burning question? >>> Go to www.Answers.yahoo.com and get answers from real people who know. >>> >>> To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> with the subject unsubscribe. >>> >>> To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, >>> please visit the list home page at >>> >>> http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in >> >> >> To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> with the subject unsubscribe. >> >> To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, >> please visit the list home page at >> >> http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. 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