The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Reporter

jgibson@tribunemedia.net

THE BUREAU OF Women’s Affairs has held ongoing meetings with members of the disability community to find ways of effectively implementing national commitments to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Women with disabilities have been invited to make recommendations on what special measures can be put in place in the Bahamas to ensure discrimination against women with disabilities is eliminated in all forms.

The Bahamian government made commitments to the international community and the Bahamian people when it ratified the CEDAW convention in 1993. It is now obligated to uphold its commitments.

The international treaty, which sits inside the United Nations’ human rights framework, sets international standards for women’s rights.

CEDAW also represents the commitment of the United Nations to not only set standards for gender equality worldwide, but also to encourage governments to be accountable to their people and the international community for the obligations which they voluntarily accepted in this area.

Iris Adderley, consultant at the Disability Affairs Division of the Ministry of Social Services said of previous concern for women globally was CEDAW’s unspecific approach to issues facing women with disabilities.

As a result of public out cry, member States are required by the CEDAW Committee to provide information on disabled women and address areas including access to education, employment, healthcare, social security and ensure that they can participate in all areas of social and cultural life stated in General Recommendation 18.

“We know that women are doubly disenfranchised because of gender and because of disability. Because of the outcry from women in the community the CEDAW committee has gone to the various States and said to them they must put measures in place so that persons with disabilities are included,” she said.

One of the recommendations put forth by Ms Adderley, who is also disabled, speaks to ease of access to information.

“The Bureau of Women’s Affairs has asked us to give some ideas and recommendations in how these special measures can be put in place. If information on health care issues are provided it needs to be in accessible formats so that people having intellectual challenges can read it. If it is broadcast on television, there needs to be sign language, because at this present time we do not have closed captioning. But whatever information is given out we need to make sure it gets across to the community. So we need to have meetings with the various NGO’s so that those persons who are members can know what the information is.

“Another recommendation is having women with disabilities a part of various organisations. How many of these organisations have women with disabilities in them? If you do not have a women with disability in your organisation how are you addressing the needs of this particular population?” said Ms Adderley.

She hopes the recommendations made will level the playing field for women in the Bahamas who have disabilities.

“If you were to take a poll of persons with disabilities at the College of the Bahamas they will tell you that if I am a person with mobility issues, higher education is not accessible. Also if I am a woman with hearing impairment, it is also not accessible to me. If I am blind it is not accessible to me and so how do I get higher education to get the good job to get the good career if I do not get access to higher education? So there is a whole range of things that need to be addressed.

What CEDAW is saying is that women are equal to men and what we are saying to CEDAW is that yes we are equal to men, and you have put a lot of laws in place that we have to follow. But we have an extra challenge so how do we get equal on the playing field?” she said.  

The framework for the establishment of a national commission for persons with disabilities has been included in the draft disability legislation scheduled to reach parliament before the end of the year, Minister of Social Services and Community Development Melanie Griffin told a high level United Nations meeting held last month.

The legislation will also provide for the co-ordination of government and private initiatives “to ensure that the needs and concerns of persons with disabilities are heard and acted upon”, Ms Griffin said.

Ms Adderley encourages women to learn more about CEDAW as a way to further empower and protect themselves.

“A cry out to women with disabilities is for them to get to understand that the country is signed on to this convention and the country can only make the convention work if we assist it by telling it what it needs. So we need to make sure we keep up-to-date with whatever CEDAW is doing and whatever CEDAW is asking the country to do,” Ms Adderley said.