Promoting human rights for women and girls with disabilities

Liliane Fonds advocates for the human rights of women and girls with disabilities to be respected, protected and fulfilled. We believe that women and girls with disabilities deserve the same opportunities to live happy, safe and economically empowered lives as everyone else. It is estimated that one billion (1 in 7) of the world’s population are persons living with a disability. According to the UN 80% of those people live in Lower and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) where 80% of persons with disabilities live below the poverty line, with women and girls being disproportionately affected.

The 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) starts Monday 11 march with the theme of “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective”.

Globally 10.3% of women live in extreme poverty today. At CSW68, governments, civil society organizations, experts and activists from across the world will come together to discuss actions and investments that can end women’s poverty and advance gender equality.

Liliane Fonds is present at CSW68 along with our Youth with Disabilities council representatives, to loudly advocate for rights of women and girls with disabilities and to ensure that UN Women and all member states and organizations working on women’s rights include Women and girls (in all their diversity) with disabilities in all their efforts to advance human rights.

We call upon UN WOMEN and Member states:

• To collect and disaggregate data and evidence on the situation, needs, and rights of women with disabilities, and use them to inform and monitor policies and programs.
• Next to adding gender responsive budgeting in the text. It is important to add gender- and disability responsive budgeting. As proposed by UN Women
• Include girls, (young) women with disabilities within all economic programs. Especially within the design process because this is the most efficient way to make programs more inclusive.
• Make sure all education (including CSE) is inclusive, accessible and non-discriminatory for girls with disabilities.
• Ensure that women and girls with disabilities are seen as whole human beings and the intersectional nature of their lives is taken into consideration when working towards disability inclusion and justice.
• Create an ambitious community-based care and support agenda that includes children and young people with disabilities and gives people with disabilities ownership and control of their needs.

_{This statement was drafted by Lisanne van der Steeg (Lobby and Advocacy Advisor) and Srushti Mahamuni (Intersectional SRHR Advocacy Advisor) at Liliane Fonds. The Liliane Fonds delegation for CSW68 consists of Srushti Mahamuni, Lisanne Van der Steeg and Youth with disabilities Council representatives Mekdes Taye with Tsega Leggesse as interpretator and Susan Sabano through virtual participation.}