HI addresses violence against women with disabilities

Women with disabilities ten times more likely to experience violence

HI will attend the 71st session of the Committee  on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, organised by the United Nations from 22 October to 9 November in Geneva. An issue of central importance to HI, violence affects more than one in three women in their lifetime. Women with disabilities, who are particularly at risk, are nearly ten times more likely to experience sexual violence.

25 years of work

For more than 25 years, HI has been implementing projects to address violence in ten or so countries around the world , including by raising women's awareness of their rights and building their self-reliance. In Rwanda, HI provides psychological support to victims of physical and sexual violence, including women, and organises discussion groups. In Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya, HI also works to combat sexual violence against children, including children with disabilities, who are three to four times more likely to be at risk of violence.

Making it Work

Hi launched the Making it Work Gender and Disability project to promote good practices in order to eliminate violence against women and girls with disabilities. The aim[1] of the organisation is also to ensure that women's voices are heard and that the risks they face (violence, abuse and exploitation) are taken into account in the projects implemented by organisations in the fields of humanitarian action, human rights, feminism and gender-based violence.

HI notably published a report in June 2018 presenting nine good practices from women's organisations  in six African countries
https://www.makingitwork-crpd.org