Gender expert flags increased risk of forced sterilization of disabled women
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Women and girls with disabilities are at increased risk of abuse, including forced sterilization, sexual exploitation and domestic violence, a United Nations independent expert warned on Monday, calling for the adoption of survivor-focused legal frameworks, reporting mechanisms and support services.
Presenting her report to the UN Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on Persons with Disabilities, Heba Hagrass, denounced the continuation of policies aimed at prohibiting people with mental or intellectual disabilities from having children.
According to the expert, women and girls with disabilities are increasingly likely to be victims of gender-based violence, including domestic and sexual violence, as well as abuse in health institutions by care providers or other residents.
In addition, they often face systemic barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services.
"In these types of contexts, discrimination is manifested in particular by forced sterilizations, by the refusal to obtain the informed consent of the patient before a medical intervention and by the lack of information presented in an accessible form," said Ms. Hagrass.
The expert said all these forms of violence make it necessary to adopt integrated protection approaches as well as inclusive support services. Especially since the shelters set up for women victims of violence are often not accessible to women with disabilities.
More broadly, women with disabilities also face barriers to accessing justice, which the expert says result from biases about their credibility or ability to be a party to legal proceedings. Ms Hagrass therefore calls on Member States to ensure that legal systems are inclusive.
It also involves making procedural adjustments to help women with disabilities seek redress when their rights are violated.
"Women and girls with disabilities are not a homogeneous group and their personal characteristics and particular impairments combine with their gender and disability, meaning that each has their own experience of discrimination," the UN expert also said.
A reminder that certain groups of women with disabilities, including older women, indigenous women, refugees, internally displaced women and migrants, women deprived of their liberty, women living in poverty, women from minorities, women with multiple disabilities who need significant support, women with albinism, lesbian, bisexual and transgender women, and intersex people, each experience discrimination in their own way.
“It is essential that authorities and decision-makers have a thorough understanding and awareness of these intersections in order to fully protect and respect the rights of these women,” the Special Rapporteur said.
-0- PANA MA 11March2025
