A woman and girls mainly focused non-governmental organisation, Women Information Network (WINET), has called for the domestication and enforcement of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 in Enugu state to address fundamental abuse of persons with disabilities.
The organization also wants Persons with Disabilities to be taught to press charges on against the violators of their rights without fear.
A Consultant to WINET, Mr. Brian Onwurah, made the remarks while giving details of results and outcome of the project on: “Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Education and Counselling Services for Young Girls and Women with Disabilities in Enugu State funded by AmplifyChange.
WINET is notable for its advocacies centered on the dissemination of information to promote women’s rights, gender equality, human and political rights and ensure that Nigerian women and girls have access to information that will enable them to make informed decisions.
Data Analyst, Mr. Brian Onwurah, presenting results & outcomes of the evaluation report
According to the policy recommendations by WINET, PWDs should be assisted to understand and use the law through its production in simple English, pidgin and Igbo Languages.
The consultant regretted that PWDs had often been abused by able-bodied persons who perceived them as sexually disadvantaged and unlikely to marry or engage in functional relationships.
Mr. Onwurah experienced joy that through the project WINET had created considerable amount of awareness on the sexual reproductive health and rights SRHR, as well as sexual health rights SHR among PWDs.
In an opening remark, the Executive Director of WINET, Mrs. Miriam Menkiti, explained that the two year project (2019-2021) commenced in February 2019 with a baseline study on the level of awareness of sexual reproductive health and rights by young girls and women with disabilities in Enugu State.
She stated that teachers from the project schools, Special Education Centre Ogbete, Enugu and Special Education Centre, Oji-river, were trained and administered questionnaires on their students while there were Focused Group Discussions with some female PWDs.
Mrs. Menkiti said that the baseline survey revealed that among other things majority of the respondents did not have clear understanding of the concepts of sexual reproductive health and rights.
The Executive Director added that following the discovery, WINET published a training manual, titled “Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR): A Handbook for Young Girls and Women for training of the PWDs” and collaborated with the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, JONAPWD, Enugu State chapter to train 150 women and men of all clusters of JONAPWD to create more awareness on the subject of matter, SRHR.
Mrs. Menkiti said that is further guaranteed the sustainability and improvement on the level of awareness created.
WINET trained 150 female and male students (75 each from Special Education Centre, Ogbete, Enugu and Special Education Centre Oji-River and supported the formation of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) clubs for students, noting that the authorities of the two schools had committed to ensure that the clubs would continue to function even after the project had ended.
Participants at the end of the project dissemination
Some of participants at the event in Enugu include; representatives of CIRDDOC, JONAPWP, the Albino Foundation, National Associations of the Blind, Deaf & Persons with Physical Disability, PRAWA, AFRILAW, Principals of the Special Education Centres commended WINET and the funding partner, AmplifyChange for a job well done.
Representatives of the two schools, Mrs Esther Nwoga and Mrs. Mrs. Ijeoma Onwuegbuna specifically said the project had great impact on their students.