The Fundación CERMI Mujeres considers it «unavoidable» to incorporate the voices, experiences, and demands of women and girls with disabilities in the implementation of the United Nations Women, Peace, and Security Agenda, as highlighted during the XIV Meeting of the Observatory on Feminism and Disability organized by the entity.
During the meeting, international gender and security consultant Lorraine Serrano lamented that «very few National Action Plans require specific actions regarding women and girls with disabilities.»
Serrano pointed out that one of the main obstacles to the «effective» implementation of these plans has been «the exclusion of civil society, particularly women’s networks and organizations, in their development process.» According to her, this omission is due, in some cases, to deliberate decisions, and in others, to a lack of resources or political will.
Serrano also emphasized that, despite the challenges, women’s networks and organizations continue to play «a key role» in promoting and defending this agenda, both nationally and internationally.
«I have seen some people in the defense and security field acknowledge the importance of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda and boast about its successes but, when pressed, they oppose any discussion about gender equality. This, in my opinion, is a serious problem because it shows that their understanding of the agenda is still limited to the representation of women and the work of civil society, without delving into its underlying principle: gender equality,» she stated.
The meeting took place within the framework of the 25th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, a milestone that gave rise to the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda, serving as a space for reflection and analysis on the remaining challenges to achieve a truly inclusive implementation.
Despite this milestone, the organization laments that women and girls continue to be used as instruments of war and subjected in many areas of the world, experiencing extreme sexual violence, trafficking, exploitation, forced displacement, and other serious and systematic violations of their human rights, which in many cases also result in permanent physical and psychological disabilities.
«SPECIFIC PUBLIC RESPONSES» TO WOMEN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
On the other hand, Fundación CERMI Mujeres participated this week in the Training Day ‘Violence against women and intellectual disabilities,’ highlighting the role that public institutions must play in their relationship with women with intellectual disabilities and mental illness.
The focus was on the urgency for legislation and public policy to address the specific needs of women and girls with disabilities who are victims of violence, abuse, and exploitation.
«In many cases, existing policies do not consider the specific obstacles faced by these women and girls, leading to severe and systematic lack of protection, not only due to their gender, age, and disability, but also due to other personal and socio-environmental factors that complicate their approach and overcoming them,» Sara De Torres, Delegate of Human Rights and Political Agenda of Fundación CERMI Mujeres, stated during her intervention.
Fundación CERMI Mujeres also emphasized the need to educate women and girls with disabilities to prevent and recognize situations of violence or abuse; to ensure these women’s access to justice and comprehensive services for victims of gender-based violence; to train all professionals and actors involved in gender-based violence on the specificities of violence against women and girls with disabilities; and to develop a specific national survey on violence against women and girls with disabilities.
FUENTE