Women With Disabilities Australia (wwda) wwda-news issue 4, 2011 Prepared by Carolyn Frohmader for Women With Disabilities Australia (wwda) Copyright Women With Disabilities Australia (wwda) December 2011 issn: 1836-7739
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- Bu səhifədəki naviqasiya:
- About Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA)
- In This Issue: A Word from the WWDA President WWDA Annual Report 2010-2011 Available WWDA to participate in High Level Panel at United Nations
- International Briefing Paper published on Sterilization of Women and Girls with Disabilities The National ‘Shut-In’ Campaign WWDA welcomes new Management Committee members
- Article: ‘Tunnel Vision or Fine Tuning – a focus on government women with disabilities’ Resources – Books, Reports, Websites, Lists Join WWDA!
- We wish you a safe and peaceful Christmas and New Year and look forward to your continued support in 2012. Merry Christmas! A Word from the WWDA President
- WWDA Annual Report 2010-2011 Available
- WWDA to participate in High Level Panel at United Nations
- WWDA Submission to the UN Thematic Study on Violence Against Women With Disabilities
- In an Emergency
- WWDA Submission to Australias Fifth Report to the Committee Against Torture
- International Briefing Paper published on Sterilization of Women and Girls with Disabilities
- Sterilization of Women and Girls with Disabilities A BRIEFING PAPER What is Sterilization
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Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) WWDA-NEWS Issue 4, 2011 Prepared by Carolyn Frohmader for Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) Copyright Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) December 2011 ISSN: 1836-7739 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced without written permission from Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA). All possible care has been taken in the preparation of the information contained in this document. WWDA disclaims any liability for the accuracy and sufficiency of the information and under no circumstances shall be liable in negligence or otherwise in or arising out of the preparation or supply of any of the information aforesaid. About Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) is the peak organisation for women with all types of disabilities in Australia. WWDA is run by women with disabilities, for women with disabilities. It is the only organisation of its kind in Australia and one of only a very small number internationally. It represents more than 2 million disabled women in Australia and operates as a national disability organisation; a national women's organisation; and a national human rights organisation. WWDA is inclusive and does not discriminate against any disability. The aim of WWDA is to be a national voice for the needs and rights of women with disabilities and a national force to improve the lives and life chances of women with disabilities. WWDA is committed to promoting and advancing the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women with disabilities. Our work is grounded in a rights based framework which links gender and disability issues to a full range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. This rights based approach recognises that equal treatment, equal opportunity, and non-discrimination provide for inclusive opportunities for women and girls with disabilities in society. It also seeks to create greater awareness among governments and other relevant institutions of their obligations to fulfil, respect, protect and promote human rights and to support and empower women with disabilities, both individually and collectively, to claim their rights. More information about WWDA can be found at the organisation’s extensive website: www.wwda.org.au Previous Newsletters and Update Reports are available on the WWDA website at: www.wwda.org.au/bulletin.htm If you have any questions, or would like more information on anything in this Newsletter, please email Carolyn or Shirley at: wwda@wwda.org.au WWDA
PO Box 605, Rosny Park, Tasmania 7018 AUSTRALIA Ph: +61 3 62448288 Fax: +61 3 62448255 Email: wwda@wwda.org.au Web: www.wwda.org.au In This Issue: A Word from the WWDA President WWDA Annual Report 2010-2011 Available WWDA to participate in High Level Panel at United Nations WWDA Submission to the UN Thematic Study on Violence Against Women With Disabilities WWDA Submission to Australia's Fifth Report to the Committee Against Torture International Briefing Paper published on Sterilization of Women and Girls with Disabilities The National ‘Shut-In’ Campaign WWDA welcomes new Management Committee members WWDA Member Profile: Anne Marie Howarth Draft National Human Rights Action Plan Released National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Update Article: ‘Tunnel Vision or Fine Tuning? – a focus on government & women with disabilities’ Resources – Books, Reports, Websites, Lists Join WWDA! News Wanted For WWDA-NEWS! Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) takes this opportunity to sincerely thank all our members and allies for the support given to us during the year. We wish you a safe and peaceful Christmas and New Year and look forward to your continued support in 2012. Merry Christmas! A Word from the WWDA President This is the 4th edition of WWDA News for 2011. It’s arrival in your inbox or mail box is due to the dedicated work of WWDA Executive Director, Carolyn Frohmader for the writing thereof and to WWDA Business/Officer Manager, Shirley Raspin for its distribution. I sincerely thank our staff for this newsletter, and even more for all they have done throughout the year. We end the year with hope that the disability reforms under way will bring positive changes to the lives of women with disabilities. At this time we are seeing high level government commitment to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). A new Ministry for Disability Reform has been created in the third Gillard Ministry, sworn in on December 14th, with the Hon. Jenny Macklin, MP, adding this portfolio to her FaHCSIA ministry. All facets of the NDIS must address gender issues, so that the current imbalance in access to services, where commonly women with disabilities receive only 40% of a number of funding pools, is rectified. I believe that positive discrimination, or even a quota system in Tier 2 of the NDIS can create opportunities to employ women with disabilities in the National Disability Insurance Authority workforce. The overall ability of women with disabilities to take up employment opportunities will be limited, unless actions are undertaken to make their lives safer. The National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children recognises the disproportionately high incidence of violence against women with disability. Intensive work needs to be done to improve the ability of services to recognise and respond to women with disabilities experiencing violence. Moreover, in the next 12 months there must be increased and sustained focus on the levels of violence in institutions. Too little is ever done to address this known systemic violation of the human rights of people with disabilities. The perpetuation of institutionalisation itself is scandalous. I commend you to join the national “Shut In” Campaign. More information is in this issue. Addressing violence against women with disabilities will make up a significant part of WWDA’s work in 2012. My thanks to the Management Committee for their wisdom and willing contribution to the work of WWDA in 2011. You can meet new Management Committee members in this edition of WWDA News. My thanks also to all our members, allies and affiliates - you have given us good encouragement, feedback and suggestions during the year. Your comments are always welcome. Of course donations are welcome too. Lastly, on behalf of the WWDA Management Committee and staff, I’d like to wish you all a happy festive season. We look forward to returning in 2012 to continue our work to influence policy and programs in order to bring about positive changes for women with disabilities. Sue Salthouse WWDA President WWDA Annual Report 2010-2011 Available Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) is pleased to advise that our Annual Report for the 2010-2011 funding year is now available. WWDA’s Annual Report 2010-2011 gives a brief synopsis of WWDA’s performance and key achievements over the 12 month period July 2010 – June 2011, and contains a number of tributes and testimonies from around the world. WWDA’s Annual Report is structured to report against the five goals of our Strategic Plan, which are to:
WWDA’s Annual Report 2010-2011 is available for download (in PDF, Word and Plain Text formats) from the WWDA website at: http://www.wwda.org.au/wwdarepts.htm. Alternatively, if you would like a copy emailed to you directly, please contact WWDA at wwda@wwda.org.au If you would prefer a hard copy posted to you in the mail (within Australia) please contact us at wwda@wwda.org.au WWDA to participate in High Level Panel at United Nations The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and the principal global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women. Every year, representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide. The 56th session of CSW will be held in New York in February-March 2012, and will consider ‘The empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges’ as its priority theme. The 56th session of CSW in 2012 provides a critical opportunity for strengthening policy guidance and developing concrete and focused recommendations targeted at a number of stakeholders to ensure more sustained and accelerated efforts to empower women with disabilities in rural areas and increase their rate of participation in decision-making processes. In order to contribute to a full understanding of the issues being considered and to assist the Commission in its deliberations, WWDA has been working collaboratively with the Women’s United Nations Report Network (WUNRN) and Women Enabled to plan a High Level Panel Event on ‘Rural Women and Girls With Disabilities’, to be held as part of the 56th session of CSW. WWDA is very excited to announce that our Panel on ‘Rural Women and Girls With Disabilities’ has been registered, and will be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, on Tuesday, February 28, 2012. WWDA member (and past WWDA President) Associate Professor Helen Meekosha, will be representing WWDA at this High Level Panel Event. As part of the planning process, WWDA has written to the Minister for the Status of Women, requesting the Australian Government to consider co-sponsoring this significant international event. Organising the event is currently underway, but at this stage, we are anticipating that the Panel participants will include:
This is a significant achievement for WWDA, and it has been a privilege to work with our international colleagues to plan and organise this ground-breaking event. The importance of this High Level Panel on ‘Rural Women and Girls With Disabilities’ cannot be over-stated. For example, it is estimated that there are now 325 million women with disabilities and girls in the world, most of whom live in rural areas of developing or resource-poor countries. Although significant progress has been made in bringing awareness of and attention to the issues of rural women in human rights treaties, and in intergovernmental outcomes, the United Nations has recognised that more attention needs to be directed to the situation of specific groups of rural women, including women with disabilities. For example, studies on women with disabilities in rural areas of many countries in the Asian and Pacific region have found that more than 80% of women with disabilities have no independent means of livelihood, and are thus totally dependent on others for their very existence. The myriad of issues that confront women with disabilities are significantly more pronounced in rural areas due to inaccessible environments and lack of services, lack of information, awareness, education, income, and contact resulting in extreme isolation and invisibility. Although there has been progress in women’s participation in decision-making globally, the representation of women with disabilities (including those from rural areas) in political and public life remains negligible in most societies. In some areas, discriminatory and traditional attitudes and practices at the local level limit the space for participation of women with disabilities in political and economic decision-making within their communities. The High Level Panel on ‘Rural Women and Girls With Disabilities’ at the 56th session of CSW will, explore a wide range of strategies that can enhance the empowerment of rural women and girls with disabilities. It will:
WWDA will keep our members updated on this exciting initiative. For more information on the 56th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), go to: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/56sess.htm WWDA Submission to the UN Thematic Study on Violence Against Women With Disabilities In mid June 2011, at its 17th session, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a Resolution to accelerate efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women. The Resolution called for a study to be conducted on the issue of violence against women and girls and disabilities, with the report of the study to be presented to the 20th session of the Human Rights Council in 2012. WWDA was invited to contribute to the UN thematic study on the issue of violence against women and girls with disabilities. The thematic study will occur in phases, and the first phase is researching information from States parties as to the current situation in relation to violence against women with disabilities. WWDA has recently completed its Submission to the Study. WWDA’s Submission provides detailed information on the following themes: data & statistics; legislation and policies; prevention and protection; prosecution and punishment, and recovery, rehabilitation and social integration. Violence against women with disabilities remains a key factor that undermines the ability of disabled women to participate as full and equal citizens in Australian society. Violence against women with disabilities is an intersectional category dealing with both gender-based and disability-based violence. The confluence of these two factors results in an extremely high risk of violence against women with disabilities. In Australia, women with disabilities experience high levels of domestic/family violence and sexual assault, and have high levels of unmet needs in terms of access to domestic violence, sexual assault and related community support services. It is now widely acknowledged that compared to non-disabled women, women with disabilities are at greater risk of severe forms of intimate partner violence; they experience violence at significantly higher rates, more frequently, for longer, in more ways, and by more perpetrators; they have considerably fewer pathways to safety, and are less likely to report experiences of violence - yet programs and services for this group either do not exist or are extremely limited. In Australia, responses to violence against women with disabilities have traditionally been characterised by limited recognition by governments and the service sector of the nature and extent of the problem; inadequate research; incomplete or partial response structures, and scarce resources to support advocacy in the area. WWDA’s Submission to the preparation phase of the UN Analytical Study on Violence Against Women and Girls with Disabilities, aims to provide an overview of the legislation, regulatory frameworks, policy, administrative procedures, services and support available within Australia to prevent and address violence against women and girls with disabilities. WWDA acknowledges that, due to time and resource constraints, the Submission does not provide a complete and detailed analysis of all mechanisms and programs across Australia’s eight States and Territories. However, the information provided in WWDA’s Submission clearly demonstrates that there have been, and remain, significant systemic failures in legislation, regulatory frameworks, policy, administrative procedures, availability and accessibility of services and support, to prevent and address the epidemic that is violence against women and girls with disabilities. Underlying these systemic failures is an entrenched culture throughout all levels of Australian society that devalues, stereotypes and discriminates against women and girls with disabilities, and invariably perpetuates and legitimises not only the multiple forms of violence perpetrated against them, but also the failure of governments to recognise and take action on the issue. WWDA’s Submission to the preparation phase of the UN Analytical Study on Violence Against Women and Girls with Disabilities, is now available for download from WWDA’s website, in both PDF and Word formats: Go to: http://www.wwda.org.au/WWDASubUNStudyViolenceWWDDec2011.pdf [for PDF version] Go to: http://www.wwda.org.au/WWDASubUNStudyViolenceWWDDec2011.doc [for Doc version] Alternatively, if you would like a copy emailed to you directly, or a hard copy posted to you in the mail, please contact WWDA on ph 03 62448288 or via email at: wwda@wwda.org.au Where to Get Help If you are a woman with a disability and experiencing, or at risk of violence, abuse, exploitation or neglect in any form, you CAN get help. 1800RESPECT: 1800RESPECT provides a national, 24 hour telephone and online, crisis and trauma counselling service to anyone whose life has been impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence.
In an Emergency: Phone 000 Australia also has two secondary emergency service numbers for use only in connection with particular technologies:
WWDA Submission to Australia's Fifth Report to the Committee Against Torture The Committee Against Torture is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) by its State parties. All States parties are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights are being implemented. Australia's fifth report to the Committee Against Torture is due in August 2012. In late 2011, WWDA was invited by the Australian Government to submit initial views on information we believe should be included in the Australian Government's report. WWDA's brief submission to the Australian Government focuses on forced sterilisation of women and girls with disabilities in Australia - a continuing state sanctioned practice which clearly gives rise to torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. WWDA's Submission is supplemented by an international briefing paper 'Sterilization of Women and Girls with Disabilities', published in November 2011 and prepared by Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA), Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Open Society Foundations, and the International Disability Alliance (IDA) as part of the Global Campaign to Stop Torture in Health Care. WWDA’s Submission to Australia's fifth report to the Committee Against Torture is available for download from WWDA’s website in both PDF and Word formats. Go to: http://www.wwda.org.au/subs2011.htm Alternatively, if you would like a copy emailed to you directly, or a hard copy posted to you in the mail, please contact WWDA on ph 03 62448288 or via email at: wwda@wwda.org.au International Briefing Paper published on Sterilization of Women and Girls with Disabilities During 2011, WWDA’s Executive Director, Carolyn Frohmader has represented WWDA on an International Working Group to Stop Forced/Coerced Sterilization. This Working Group was established as part of the Global Campaign to Stop Torture in Health Care (see: http://stoptortureinhealthcare.org), and has been reported on in previous editions of WWDA-News. During the second half of 2011, some of the members of the Working Group joined forces to develop and publish a Paper on Sterilization of Women and Girls with Disabilities. The paper was jointly prepared by Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA), Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Open Society Foundations, and the International Disability Alliance (IDA), and published in November 2011. The paper will be used internationally in advocacy efforts to bring an end to the ongoing practice of forced and coerced sterilisation of women and girls with disabilities throughout the world. The Briefing Paper is reproduced here in full and is also available in PDF format and Word format from the WWDA website. Go to: http://www.wwda.org.au/sterilise2011.htm NB: References cited within the Paper are provided in Appendix 1 of this Newsletter. Sterilization of Women and Girls with Disabilities A BRIEFING PAPER What is Sterilization? In many parts of the world, women rely on access to a range of methods to control their fertility, including voluntary sterilization. However, too often, sterilization is not a choice. Sterilization is defined as “a process or act that renders an individual incapable of sexual reproduction.”[1] Forced sterilization occurs when a person is sterilized after expressly refusing the procedure, without her knowledge or is not given an opportunity to provide consent. Coerced sterilization occurs when financial or other incentives, misinformation, or intimidation tactics are used to compel an individual to undergo the procedure. Women with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to forced sterilizations performed under the auspices of legitimate medical care or the consent of others in their name. Yüklə 241,75 Kb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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