Making progress on social development depends on the inclusion of all segments of society. Yet across the world, persons with disabilities are too often denied the right to full social, economic and political participation.
With this in mind, the UNFPA theme for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is “From lived experience to accountability: Together advancing rights, choices and social progress for all in physical and digital spaces.”
Technology is a powerful means for persons with disabilities to engage with the world, opening access to online communities, information and services. Yet digital tools are often weaponized against persons with disabilities, especially women and girls. Perpetrators can tamper with assistive devices, attach trackers to wheelchairs and steal passwords to hack into personal financial and health services.
Indeed, women with disabilities are much more likely than other women to experience violence in both the real and virtual worlds.
As experts on their own lives, persons with disabilities, especially women and girls, must have central roles in making the digital world safe and equitable, participating in the development of technology and regulations that build in accessibility and safety from the start.
UNFPA works to uphold the bodily autonomy of women and young persons with disabilities and their right to live free from violence, online and off. In one of many UNFPA initiatives, for instance, the We Decide programme expands access to sexual and reproductive health services, gender-based violence prevention and response services and information tailored to women and young people with disabilities.
In honour of the international day, UNFPA and partners will host a series of accessible events acknowledging the agency, voices and experiences of women and young people with disabilities:
Wanted: A World for One Billion
Launching on the first day of December, this exhibit will be displayed on screens in metro stations and at bus stops across Madrid, Spain, until 29 December. The project will showcase photographs and essays featuring persons with disabilities and their work from Ecuador, Morocco and Mozambique, as well as artwork from persons with disabilities in Spain, illustrating their connection to human rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights and bodily autonomy. The exhibit is produced in partnership with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, Dysturb and Grupo Social ONCE, under UNFPA’s We Decide programme.
Bridging gender and disability inclusion in UN Disability Inclusion Strategy: A forward-looking accountability dialogue
This online event highlights the role of the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy in advancing the leadership of persons with disabilities, with a focus on gender and disability. The event also serves as the official launch of a new report on gender responsiveness in the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy. UNFPA and UN Women organized the event in partnership with the Interagency Working Group on Gender and Disability Inclusion, International Disability Alliance, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and Women Enabled International. The event will be held on 2 December from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. EST. You can register here.
Addressing technology-facilitated gender-based violence against persons with disabilities
On 3 December, UNFPA will launch a powerful advocacy video to mark this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, in line with the global theme to end digital violence against all women and girls. The video aims to raise awareness of technology-facilitated gender-based violence as an urgent and growing human rights issue, shedding light on its impact on persons with disabilities. The video is part of UNFPA’s broader effort to promote safe, inclusive and equitable digital spaces for women and girls. It was produced in partnership with the Diverse Empowerment Foundation, Global Affairs Canada, Global Forum on the Leadership of Women with Disabilities, Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation and Women Enabled International.
