International Women’s Day lifts the lid on human rights for women and girls with disability – Women with Disabilities Australia
Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) has launched a new website, Our Place, just in time for International Women’s Day. The ‘Our Place’ website has been developed to support women and girls with disability to learn about and realise their rights.
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating women and their achievements. The day also recognises that throughout the world, we still have a long way to go to achieve gender equality. This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #EachforEqual, calling on each of us to take responsibility for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day.
It is a day to remind each other that we all have the right to be free and equal. We are all born free. We all have our own thoughts and Ideas. We should all be treated in the same way.
There are currently over 2 million women and girls with disability in Australia and they represent one of the most marginalised and excluded groups in the country. They experience widespread discrimination and violations of their rights and freedoms.
WWDA CEO, Carolyn Frohmader, says “Participation of disabled women as citizens is at the basis of the recognition of their dignity. Yet, women and girls with disability are often denied opportunities to develop their skills, confidence, agency and autonomy. Their views and choices can go unheard and their decisions are often made by others. Limited opportunities for participation in all areas of life contributes to a lack of awareness of their rights as equal members of society and reinforces negative stereotypes and discriminatory practices. Our Place recognises and reflects that developing a sense of personal worth, autonomy and agency for women and girls with disability is fundamental to advancing their rights”.
The development of Our Place demonstrates what active and meaningful participation of women and girls with disability looks like in practice. The new Our Place website was created by and for women and girls with disability. Over 100 women and girls with disability across Australia helped to create the new and innovative Our Place website. It is full of important and accessible information for and by women and girls with disability.
The Our Place website also showcases real stories from over 40 women with disability across Australia.
“Including the real stories section on the Our Place website allows women and girls with disability to relate and connect to others who have had similar experiences or violations. It also enables the formation of personal and collective identities, creating a sense of solidarity, purpose and shared strength, said Ms Frohmader.
To learn more about the rights of women and girls with disability, head to the website: ourplace.wwda.org.au.
