Women with Disabilities Committee

Background

In Cambodia, Women with Disabilities face many problems similar to those faced by Cambodian women generally, but they are more vulnerable due to their disabilities. They tend to be excluded from education, training, and employment opportunities, and they face a wide range of difficulties, which include:

• Poor standard of living (joblessness, low income).
• Discrimination by the community and even their own families, in a society with a limited understanding of disability.
• Lack of specialised health services, and poor access to rehabilitation services.
• Poor participation in mainstream development activities and decision-making.
• Domestic violence (rape, physical assault, threats, etc).
• Lack of self-confidence.

Composition and Function

Women with disabilities are a priority concern for the Disability Action Council. To respond to their needs, the DAC established the Women with Disabilities (WWD) Committee in early 1999.Members of the committees include representatives from ministries, international and national NGOs working for the well-being of women with disabilities. The committee’s aims are being achieved through the work of member organisations and other relevant bodies – the committee itself does not implement projects, but has a coordinating and networking role. The committee disseminates information and raises awareness about the current status and needs of women with disabilities, and promotes equitable participation ofwomen with disabilities in all services, resources and activities.

Objectives

The goal of the Women with Disabilities Committee is that women with disabilities get more support and encouragement, and actively participate in mainstream development programmes.

The main objectives of the WWD Committee are:

• To support communication among women with disabilities and with others, and to ensure that they are included in development activities.
• To facilitate access to income generation schemes, health and other basic services.
• To support and promote advocacy and awareness raising about domestic violence and discrimination against women with disabilities.

The WWD Committee puts much of its energy into building networks with other organisations such as women’s NGOs and human rights organisations. The purpose is to promote equal rights for women with disabilities, and to explore ways in which women with disabilities can be integrated into mainstream development programmes and projects, especially those specifically targeted at women.

The WWD Committee aims to extend its collaboration with relevant partners in the sectors of health, education (literacy, non-formal education), agriculture, and social affairs in order to change people’s discriminatory attitudes and behaviours against women with disabilities.

The work of the Women with Disabilities Committee is strengthening the work of its member organisations concerned with WWD issues; improving awareness of WWD issues among decision-makers and implementers of assistance projects; and helping women with disabilities in Cambodia to represent themselves and address their problems and needs.

Case Study (Top)

Sok Leng is 30 years old, and is a double amputee as a result of stepping on a landmine at the age of twelve. After becoming disabled, she had no opportunity to attend school or literacy classes.

In 1998 she was selected by Jesuit Service Cambodia (JSC) Vocational Training Centre to participate in their programme. She attended literacy classes and received training as an electronics technician. She became a JSC staff member and is now responsible for looking after all of the female trainees who stay at the centre, as well as administering the stores for the Electronics training programme at the centre. She says that she is very happy with her work and no longer feels isolated from society.

In 1999 Sok Leng became JSC’s representative on the DAC Women with Disabilities Committee. As a result, her life has gradually changed. She says that before when she worked in only one organisation, her work seemed limited. Now that she is involved in the WWD Committee, she has made contacts with more people and is able to get more information on providing services for women with disabilities. She says she now also has a deeper awareness of the situation of women with disabilities, their problems, and possible solutions. She has also found that her involvement in the committee has improved her planning and reporting skills in her own work at Jesuit Service Cambodia.

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