1. Hilltop Hotel Kigali 20th December 2016
Breaking the silence on the issues of SGBV among women and girls with disabilities
Hilltop Hotel
Kigali 20th December 2016

2. Breaking the silence on the issues of SGBV among women and girls with disabilities
Key findings from: An assessment of GBV issues among girls and women with disabilities as a matter of human rights violation July- August 2016 Donor: DisAbility Rights Fund

3. Breaking the silence on the issues of SGBV among women and girls with disabilities
Outlines:
Objective of the assessment
Assessment methodology
Key findings

4. Breaking the silence on the issues of SGBV among women and girls with disabilities
Objectives of the assessment: Generating evidences on the profile of women with disabilities in Rwanda with focus on GBV to inform and guide UNABU advocacy work for women and girls with disabilities to enjoy their rights as provided in Article 6 & 16 of the UNCRPD

5. Assessment methodology
Breaking the silence on the issues of SGBV among women and girls with disabilities
Assessment methodology
Assessment team: WWDs guided by a facilitator
Covered areas: Muhanga and Rwamagana Districts
Data collection tools: focus group discussion (FGD) and In-depth interviews for qualitative and quantitative data
Participants : 176 women and girls with disabilities

6. Breaking the silence on the issues of SGBV among women and girls with disabilities
Participants to the assessment
District
Sector
Name of the group of UNABU
Total members of the group
Members of the group participating in the FGDs
# of members participants to in-depth interview
Muhanga
Nyamabuye
Urumuri 50 32 4
Mushishiro
Humura 26 20 3
Nyarusange
Abanyamahoro 45
Duterimbere 14 1
Twisungane
Abishyizehamwe 30 21
Rwamagana
Muhazi
Ingenzi 18
Mwurirre
Dufatanye 7 2
Total
246
176

7. Breaking the silence on the issues of SGBV among women and girls with disabilities
Representation of the categories

8. Breaking the silence on the issues of SGBV among women and girls with disabilities
Some limitations and challenges…
Reported findings may not represent the views of the entire population ( women with disabilities) rather provide an overview. Findings were based primarily on in-depth interviews and FGD (Focus Group Discussions) with WWDs members of community groups created under UNABU/DRF funded project.
Due to their sensitive nature, some issues related to GBV , in particular, were not directly assessed.
Lack of counseling skills and knowledge among surveyors to provide counseling to needy WWDs victims of SGBV

9. Breaking the silence on the issues of SGBV among women and girls with disabilities
Key findings…
Prevalence of SGBV among PWDs is very high among WWDs than men with disabilities
Among 31% (54)of WWDs having heard cases of GBV against PWDs , 94% (51) of heard cases were against women and girls with disabilities
Deprivation from access to resources (38%), rape and sexual harassment (26%), names relating to their disability (15%) or making them beg for assistance, food or money (13%) come on the top of cases
47% of WWDs reported having personally faced SGBV cases

10. Breaking the silence on the issues of SGBV among women and girls with disabilities
There are evidences…
Having now Maria a 22 years old with her mental disability
She doesn’t have yet the Identification card
Raped at 18 years by a man she knows and remembers very well when she was alone at home
Beaten by the perpetrator when denouncing the issue to local authority and requesting for support in the presence of authorities
The perpetrator denied paternity to the child who is not so far registered
She was given Health insurance but her child was refused to because the baby is not registered any where!

11. Breaking the silence on the issues of SGBV among women and girls with disabilities
Physical weakness due to disability, poverty and lack of self esteem among women and girls with disabilities, stigma, isolation, negative attitude against PWDs, drunkenness and ignorance encourage SGBV among WWDs.
Knowledge about GVB in general and GBV prevention among women with disabilities was less. 88% of respondents reported have never head of the law on the prevention and punishment of GBV in Rwanda.
Radio and parents evening were the only reported channels of information on GBV for 22% who
Women and girls with disabilities may not know where to go for help that lead to limted access to justice .
Only 10% displayed the knowledge of structures and organizations working on prevention, reporting, prosecution and treatment of GBV and its consequences.

12. Other Factors playing the role …..
Breaking the silence on the issues of SGBV among women and girls with disabilities
Other Factors playing the role …..
7% of WWDs participants to the assessment have never attained any level of education while 22% have only completed primary school.
25% had no health insurance from the last Mutual Health Insurance Year (July 2015-June 2016)
only 26% benefit from the main poverty reduction programs: Girinka (4%) , ubudehe (7%)and VUP (15%).
67% are members of other community groups
lack of required skills and capacity comes on the top of barriers preventing WWDs to fully and equally participate in the community groups at 53%.

13. Breaking the silence on the issues of SGBV among women and girls with disabilities
Other Factors playing the role …..
WWDs participating in the leadership position of the key decision making structures represent 9%
And most of them (50%) are in the NCPD leadership
32% WWDs never attended community meetings
67% who have never attended public works Umuganda
79% of WWDs who managed to attend those meetings have never speak in those meetings due to
the lack of self esteem, not given opportunity , fear of laughing at them and lack value to their opinions by local authorities and other community members.

14. Breaking the silence on the issues of SGBV among women and girls with disabilities
Recommendations to women and girls with disabilities
Women and girls with disabilities should break the silence and denounce the issues of GBV they are facing
Active participation in other community groups, meetings and platforms to voice out their concerns and demand inclusion

15. Breaking the silence on the issues of SGBV among women and girls with disabilities
Recommendations to stakeholders
Conduct comprehensive awareness and advocacy on the issues of GBV faced by women and girls with disabilities
Disability inclusive efforts to address violence against all women by ensuring that such programs do not exclude any woman on the basis of her disability.
Specific actions like producing disaggregated data on GBV cases, providing sign language interpretation, training of key GBV stakeholders personnel on disability mainstreaming need to be implemented.
Put in place specific measures for the implementation and monitoring of the CEDAW and UNCRPD as women and girls with disabilities are concerned

16. Breaking the silence on the issues of SGBV among women and girls with disabilities
Promote the inclusion of women with disabilities in mainstream efforts to address violence against all women by ensuring that such programs do not exclude any woman on the basis of her disability. For this to happen some specific measures like producing disaggregated data on GBV cases, providing sign language interpretation, training of key GBV stakeholders personnel on disability mainstreaming need to be implemented.
Punishment of the perpetrators of GBV against women and girls with disabilities as provided in GBV law
Put in place specific measures for the implementation and monitoring of the CEDAW and UNCRPD as women and girls with disabilities are concerned.

17. Quiz
How many Women with disabilities access your organization’s services ?

18. THANK YOU FOR YOUR LISTENING