Women with albinism empowered to advocate and fight for their rights
The Minority and Media Rights Group (MMRG), a human rights organisation, has trained some women with albinism on the rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs), particularly women, and empowered them to overcome all forms of social injustices.
The workshop also sought to harness their potentialities as leaders and build their capacity to educate the public and advocate for the rights of PWDs.
The participants, all members of the Ghana Association of Persons with Albinism (GAPA), received training on relevant articles of international instruments relating to harmful practices, social protection, inclusive education, employment, and access to justice and how they could leverage them.
They included the Convention against Torture and the Convention on Enforced Disappearance.
They were also educated on the use of appropriate and inclusive language for the various categories of PWDs to avoid stigma and discrimination.
Mr Auberon Jeleel Odoom, Inclusion Ghana, who facilitated the training, observed that discrimination and stigmatisation against PWDs was pervasive in Ghana and needed concerted efforts to combat it.
He entreated the public to desist from the practice of using derogatory language, such as cripple, deaf and dumb, albino and mad to describe PWDs, describing it as ‘hurtful’ and ‘inappropriate.’
“Unfortunately, some of these words are found in our law books including the criminal code,” he lamented.
“For a person who cannot hear, you can say ‘a person with hearing loss’ or ‘a deaf person’ and for the one who cannot walk, you can say ‘a wheelchair user’ or ‘person with mobility disability’,” he stated.
Mr Odoom entreated PWDs, especially women, to seek justice using channels and mechanisms such as Legal Aid, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative (CHRAJ) and Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) when abused.
He said they should not be dissuaded from taking legal action in case of abuse to serve as a deterrent to others.
“When you have abuse in your home, you can go to DOVVSU, and they will come to your aid. Never say that I went to the police, and they did not do anything about it.
“You have other channels; when you cannot handle it, let your association know, or you can even escalate it to the UN committee on Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” he urged.
Mr Newton Kwamla Katseku, Executive Director of GAPA and representative of MMRG, also expressed disquiet over the name calling and the use of offensive language against PWDs.
He also observed that laws in the country were not very protective enough and appealed for the amendment of the relevant laws to give more protection to PWDs.
“For instance, the law that requires a blind person to identify their abusers like everybody else is not protective enough. How can a blind person identify the person who has harmed them?” he queried.
Mr Katseku touted some achievements of the Association in seeking justice for it members, indicating that they succeeded in many cases with some culprits behind bars.
“We have led and resolved a lot of issues. Interestingly, some of the victims go back to their abusers in the middle of the case and they ask us to drop the case,” he bemoaned.
Madam Agnes Abban, the Okere District Director of Education, underscored the importance of actively involving women in development at all levels.
She said the women’s participation in development led to more effective solutions and fostered collaboration, creativity, and innovation to drive better outcomes.
“Moreover, women’s participation in policy development is essential for gender equality and empowerment. It ensures that policies address gender disparities, promote equal opportunities, and challenge systemic barriers,” she noted.
“Let us prioritise women’s integration in policy development, embrace diverse perspectives, and create a more inclusive and equitable world for all,” she added.
A participant, Madam Helena Narh Fenuku, described the session as educative and insightful, indicating that they had been enlightened on how to fight for their rights.
“As women with albinism, there are a lot of rights and policies we did not know about. But now we have come to learn them, and they will help us in so many ways moving forward,” she said.
Source: GNA