Panel Discussion On 'International Day For Persons With Disabilities' Held

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Dec, 2022 ) :To mark the observance of International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2022, the Special Talent Exchange program (STEP) in collaboration with the National Commission on the Status of Women and the United Nations Population Fund organized a panel discussion with the theme "Disability Inclusion and GBV Services".

Chairperson National Commission on the Status of Women, Nilofer Bakhtiar graced the event as Chief Guest.

The event contributes to advancing gender equality, inclusive, accessible GBV services, and an equitable society for women and girls with disabilities in Pakistan. NCSW through a new declaration committed to being more responsive and inclusive in its approaches to tackling the GBV survivors, especially those with a disability while actively collaborating with development partners and Organizations of persons with disabilities the other day in Islamabad.

While speaking at the occasion, "The Chairperson National Commission on the Status of Women, Nilofer Bakhtiar said that Women and girls with disabilities face particular barriers to their rights, as gender and disability intersect. Far too often, they experience discrimination, exclusion, isolation and denial of their dignity and autonomy, both in public and within their own families. They are also denied access to public spaces at community, national and international levels. She also highlighted the efforts being made by the government side to strengthen the existing GBV services and mechanisms to facilitate women with disabilities and to provide psychosocial support to GBV survivors.

Country Representative UNFPA, Dr. Luay Shabaneh emphasizes the need that through their meaningful participation the rights, needs, and concerns of women and girls with all types of impairments should be taken into consideration and addressed in decisions that matter to their lives. They should also be at the centre of designing, developing and implementing laws, policies, and services for the prevention and response to the violence they face.

To promote this full-fledged participation, we need to support them to establish or join organizations that can represent their rights; not just in disability-specific issues and mechanisms, but in all issues and in all platforms.

Executive Director - Special Talent Exchange Program Atif Shiekh, thanked UNFPA and Chairperson National Commission on the Status of Women, Ms. Nilofer Bakhtiar for her commitment and efforts for making public GBV services accessible for women with disabilities. He emphasized that the essential public service such as health, police and justice, social services and coordination system among them should be strengthened and responsive to mainstream persons with disability within their services. He appealed to all stakeholders for collaboration and swift actions to remove all accessibility barriers and create a society where persons with disabilities can equally enjoy their rights.

While moderating the session with respectable panelists, Abia Akram Director Programs, STEP emphasizes Sustainable Development Goal 5 cannot be achieved without ending violence against women and girls with disabilities in all their diversity, and without a comprehensive, accessible, and inclusive approach to policies, programmes, and remedial measures at all levels.

The event was attended by representatives of Government, United Nations Population Fund, International NGOs, OPDs, and women with disabilities. Respectable panelists from essential services for survivors of violence included Dr. Zaeem Zia (District Health Officer, ICT), Amna Baig (Superintendent of Police (HQ and training) and Additional Superintendent of Police (operations), Mr Hassan Abbas (Assistant District Prosecutor at Prosecution Department ICT), Kashif Kamal (DG, MoHR), and Saira Furqan (Manager, Family Protection and Rehabilitation Center for Women, Islamabad) shared their views in the light of their experience in service delivery to the survivors of violence.