The Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Edo Chapter, has called for the education of women with disabilities on issues related to Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV).
Its Chairperson, Ms. Ann Ojugo, made the call during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Benin.
Ojugo said women with disabilities needed to be educated on ways to avoid abusive relationships as well as report cases of SGBV to relevant authorities.
“Women with disabilities, especially those from poor backgrounds, are at the receiving end when it comes to SGBV, due to poor access to knowledge about how to fight for their rights.
“Some women with disabilities have children for men they don’t know, men they don’t love, and are scared to report such situations.
“Some are also in abusive relationships and can’t fight for their rights because they lack adequate knowledge about SGBV issues,” she said.
She said the association recently trained 18 women with disabilities drawn from the 18 Local Government Councils in the state, on how to avoid abusive relationships and report such cases to where they could get justice.
“We encouraged the women to take the knowledge gained down to the grassroots so that women with disabilities will be bold to stand for their rights and report violence, so that culprits will be dealt with.
“At the end of the training, some of the participants said they would not have been victims of abuses if only they had access to information on SGBV,” she said.
She commended the Edo Government for establishing Sexual Assault Referral Centres in the 18 local government councils of the state.
She, however, said that more work needed to be done at the grassroots to enable victims gain access as well as visit the centres.
“The LGA chairmen should be able to provide logistics as well as create conducive centres where women with disabilities, going through different forms of SGBV, can easily visit and seek for help.
“Members of staff in such centres should not use derogatory words on the victims and they should give victims the necessary assistance,” she said. (NAN)
