Women, Girls Living With Disability : Highlighting Their Challenges, Success Stories, Prospects

 
The recognition of the rights of people with disabilities is essential to building an inclusive and equitable society. However, in Cameroon, disabled people continue to face major challenges, including limited access to education, employment, and accessible infrastructure. Despite these obstacles, many people with disabilities have achieved much in various areas, inspiring their communities.

Joint Tackling Of Disability Challenges
It was for this reason that Mrs. Marie Pierre Raky Chaupin, the United Nations, UN Women Resident Representative to Cameroon and her team on Monday, December 9, 2024 in the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde, hosted a media briefing (Café Presse) on the challenges of women living with disability. The event was jointly organised with the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF and the United Nations Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa. The theme was “Challenges, prospects and success stories of people living with disability,”

UNICEF Support To Disabled
The aim was to create a setting for dialogue between people living with disability, the media, and stakeholders. In order to raise public awareness on their daily challenges, share inspiring success stories, and highlight prospects for better inclusion. At the end, participants listened to testimonies of two young ladies living with disability. And who are supported in their challenges by UNICEF. This was a poignant reminder to the public not to forget the plight of the disabled, especially women and young girls living with various disabilities.  

Inclusive Dialogue
The gathering also sought to promote inclusive dialogue between people with disabilities, the media, and stakeholders on their rights, challenges, successes and life prospects. Raise awareness among journalists and the general public on the realities of people with disability. Share success stories and strategies adopted to overcome obstacles. Identify concrete solutions to improve the inclusion of people with disability. And encourage the media to integrate disability issues into their programmes and reports.

Participants’ Recommendations 
Rising from the event, participants made the following recommendations. Emphasis on sensitisation during seminars in different work places, hospitals and educational institutions. They agreed that sensitisation will help to get more women living with disability out of poverty, especially Muslim women. Since women are home keepers, it becomes more difficult for them to cope with their house chores and disabilities, they noted.

Engage Islamic Clerics, Muslim Leaders 
More communication is needed towards Imams and Muslim community leaders to understand that women living with disability are like all other women, briefing participants said. Advising regular sensitisation of the public on violence against women and the respect of the rights of women living with disability. 
Moreover, they stressed the need to organise workshops with the Ministry of Defence, police and enforce the rights of disabled women at all levels and in very sphere of life (public transport, crossing the street, etc). 

Step Up Advocacy
Participants recommended awareness campaigns in markets, hospitals, schools and public offices; improvement of access to public services for disabled women, and strengthening access to different organisations that defend women’s rights. They moved for improved advocacy for a gender-sensitive policy for people with disability in Cameroon, and strengthening the capacity of women living with disability. For example, by implementing the international legal framework on violence against women. 

Boost Access To Resources 
They agreed to meet the criteria for a project on the rights of women and violence against women so that disabled women’s associations have more access to resources. Carry out m...