The fact that Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) also have sexual urge and should enjoy sex like other Persons without Disabilities, as well as give birth to children, access contraceptives, seek medical attention on Sexually Transmitted Infections and make other Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) decisions without discrimination just like everyone else have again been emphasized.
A Programme Officer with Disability Rights Advocacy Center – DRAC, Michael Brian Mulungi made this emphasis during a technical meeting of stakeholders who converged in Makurdi the Benue State capital to develop the Standard Operating Procedures for Hospitals and Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) for the implementation of a National Policy on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in Benue State.
Mulungi maintained that “the COST OF NOT BEING INCLUSIVE IN PROGRAMMING IS FAR HIGHER than the cost of being inclusive” and asserted that the “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) CANNOT be achieved without inclusion of PWDs in the scheme of things” in view of its mandate to “Leave No One Behind” (LNOB).
He explained that although PwDs have every right to access the minimum package of SRH services available to everyone else, there are unfavourable factors such as stigmatization, communication barriers, ignorance of service providers, inadequate capacity of service providers to manage clients with disabilities and the general condescending attitude of healthcare workers, among others that have hindered PwDs from enjoying this right.
Mulungi further said DRAC and other stakeholders developed a National Policy on SRHR of PwDs to give a policy direction to the government, CSOs, development partners, media practitioners and the organised private sector on how to deal with the reproductive health concerns of Persons with Disabilities especially Women and Girls with Disabilities (WGwDs) and ensure that all SRH programmes reach and serve them.
The DRAC disability rights advocate explained that the National Policy had 5 thematic areas which include “increasing knowledge and improving access to SRHR for PWDs and inclusion of PWDs in health governance (policy formulation)”. Others he said include “ensuring partnership, collaboration and capacity building with various stakeholders as well as promotion of research, monitoring and evaluation for evidence-based programming for PWDs”.
Making his own remarks earlier, Executive Director of Disability Advancement Initiative -DAI, Mr. Obinna Ekwujeronye noted that the stakeholders meeting was a “Policy to Action (P TO A)” step aimed at stepping down the National Policy to the State level.
Ekwujeronye who observed that “most women suffer triple jeopardy” quickly cautioned that “if we do not help them, we would be doing the society a great disservice” and pointed out that the push for SRHR for PWDs should be done strictly from a “rights perspective and not inspired by pity”.
He thanked the Disability Rights Fund (DRF) for sponsoring the SRHR project and the twin implementing partners: DRAC and D.A.I. for advancing the course of PwDs.
Stakeholders in attendance including the Chairman, Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPwD), Mr. Bemshima Anshe, Emmanuel Igbe of the State Primary Healthcare Board and Blessing Ogbonna of Breakthrough Action Nigeria (BAN) all commended the parley and added it was indeed an eye opener to them about current issues affecting PWDs.
Participants were drawn from the Federal Medical Centre, Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Benue State Primary Healthcare Board, Ministry of Health and Human Services, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and JONAPwD among others.
DRAC is a non-profit organisation that works to promote the human rights of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in order to facilitate their inclusion in the larger development agenda.
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