In a Human Rights Comment published on Thursday 21 April, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights denounced the exclusion of women and girls with disabilities, who are marginalised in society, including among those promoting the rights of persons with disabilities.
This exclusion “has for a long time impoverished our societies”, says Dunja Mijatović, “it masks the root causes of the discrimination they face, allows the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes, both concerning gender and disability”.
Referring to a recent survey by the UK Parliament, the Commissioner said that women with disabilities are twice as likely to experience violence and abuse as those without disabilities. When they do report such violence, their stories are not taken seriously by the police and support services because they are considered “not a reliable witness”.
These situations are common in Europe and represent only one aspect of the human rights abuses suffered by women with disabilities, who are discriminated against in comparison to non-disabled women and men with disabilities.
The Commissioner is also concerned about the inclusion of women with disabilities in emergency and conflict situations.
Member States must do their utmost to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches them, as they face additional communication and mobility barriers, she warned, noting also the plight of those who have fled Ukraine and may face inaccessible reception facilities, which expose them to additional risks of violence and abuse.
Link to the Human Rights Comment: https://aeur.eu/f/1b8 (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)