Daily Times

Imagine a woman spending a whole day on crutches or a wheelchair only to find out her existence as the most redundant one by evening each day. Imagine she has to struggle thrice more than a normal body to get hold of daily household routines, go to the toilet, get some food or be out to fetch air, and yet her being is ridiculed, belittled and taken as an enduring burden. The situation doubles down as she is admonished and looked down upon by her family members. Under these testing circumstances, she goes from vulnerable states to the most exposed threshold until the perverts forge their way onto her, exploit her physically and put heavy dents within her emotional web. Imagine what the surreal “Cinderella life” look would like as she finds herself at the receiving end of sexual assaults, financial instability and acute discrimination.

Although the lives of women with disabilities were never easy before the COVID-19 mutant hit the global leagues, the pandemic, however, doubled down the chaos for the PWDs, especially women. It was statistically assessed and analyzed that Gender Violence increased multifold as the pandemic locked its tentacles across the park and engulfed the world tout ensemble, reeling on the brink of uncertainty. Women with disabilities, being the most vulnerable segment of society, bore the brunt of the chaos in particular. They saw an era marked by gloomy impressions full of melancholy and depression. Even when the pandemic called it a day, the proclivity of assailants towards gender-based violence only proliferated and continued till yet.

Accessibility is one of the eight standalone general principles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Out of several factors facilitating the problem, few are heavily dovetailed with it, i.e. age, gender, geographical location and ethnicity are directly linked with gender-based violence against women with disabilities. Among them, the causes of psychosocial distress and poor quality of life are disempowerment and isolation, forced and early marriages, mental health issues resulting in somatised symptoms and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). On the flip side, the causes of poor mental health in men are found to be a high level of frustration, disappointment, hopelessness and behavioural issues leading to substance use, and aggressive outbursts. Unfortunately, the factors contributing to deteriorating males’ mental health directly impact women with disabilities as they become the means to help vent men their hostility through illegal means i.e. physically and mentally assaulting women, especially PWDs!

The fact of the matter is that the government has not responded well to the issue which is why the proclivity of the masses to understand the subject and find a solution has partially diminished.

Desperate times call for desperate measures! Here, a robust understanding of mental health and psychosocial support is required to engage the public for the cause. Following are some immediate proposals designed to address the core psychosocial determinants of leading mental health issues among women with disabilities.

One has to nip it in the bud as the charity here starts from the grass root. Formal education in the form of sturdy and comprehensive mentoring and training programs must be made a part of the school curriculum. The deliberation of the issue should be reflected upon practices and actions as the youth gears up for college up-gradation. In this regard, the awareness session “Social Cohesion through Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)” should be introduced and designed to find answers to why social disharmony exists and why most women have to suffer for the shortcomings of men.

The other most crucial step that needs to be taken is in the context of accessibility, which lies at the centre of importance as it bars women with disabilities from getting field exposure, fending for necessities through jobs, approaching public places, reporting to police or seek medical help without any permanent support. Accessibility is one of the eight standalone general principles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The convention requires that State Parties “ensure to persons with disabilities access to on an equal basis with others, the physical environment, transportation, information and communications, and to other facilities and services open or provided to the public, both in urban and in rural areas.” At least, a biannual “Accessibly Audit” may be conducted across the country to help Persons with Disabilities approach their physical environment with ease and convenience. The process must induce good practices enabling the PWDs to access transport, police stations, healthcare centres, medical facilities, clubs, markets, as well as communications, including information and technology, on an equal and equitable basis with others.

This is to be noted that the major population of Pakistan is in rural areas. In this regard, a thorough understanding of the rural framework must be acquired to implement good practices within the rural framework of the country. In rural areas, people do not usually respond to intellectual practices if they don’t find it worthwhile in terms of monetary benefits. Therefore, an effective piece of counseling is needed. Secondly, the villages are mostly operated under the influence of local influencers, and juggernauts, and their consent must be sought. Failing to do so might come over with consequences.

In rural social fabric, people are reluctant to send their women to training units unless a mutual trust is established and financial perks are involved. The government should announce scholarships for the attendees and make sure the physically challenged people do not get hurt by social taboos, stigma and stereotyping as an outcome of these capacity-building programs. An effective procurement and logistics roadmap must be laid down to ensure that the provision and supplies of technical tools aren’t interrupted and delayed at all i.e. Braille Keyboards (Refreshable Braille Displays if available), Screen Magnifiers, Voice Controls etc. Cognitive aids are important to help women struggling with their memory, attention, or other challenges that affect their thinking skills.

This groundbreaking state-run capacity-building initiative should involve networking, recruitment of participants, provision of technical tools, development of training need assessment (TNA) tools, conductance of TNA with organizations and hired individuals, laying down effective communication strategy through information dissemination mechanism and training of women with disabilities. This capacity-building model shall turn a new leaf over for women with disabilities and provide them with formidable state support, an understanding of the legal framework and access to a physical environment with equal opportunities.

The writer can be reached at mbilal.isbpk@gmail.com