The Chairlady for the House of Jesus Disable Organization, Michaella F Jakkah has told Premier News on Monday, December 7, 2020, that able-bodied men and boys who serve as helpers to women with disabilities during the day demand sexual favors and sexually abuse them at night as a reward for pushing them around during the day.
She explained that the boys and able-bodied men sleep with them, impregnate them and as the months go by they abandon them because they are unable to carry the responsibility of the pregnancies.
“But after we have given birth, they reconcile with us and we would accept them because we are inclined not to have children with more than one man. But after acceptance they would impregnate us again and leave,” she added.
She noted that during such pregnancies disable women find it extremely difficult to access medical care.
“We are discriminated against by nurses. Some nurses prefer administering treatments to pregnant women who are able-bodied than us. They frown at us,” Jakkah emphasized.
She cited that even though the government made provision for lactating mothers in the free healthcare initiative, “we are not benefitting from it neither does our under five children”.
Jakkah also noted that most hospital are not disable friendly, as provided in the Disability Act of 2011, in the sense that most facilities, lack ramps and some staff are not as accommodating to them as they should be.
She furthered that because of their inability to walk, climb, talk and see they are slow to board vehicles and most commercial drivers and riders ask them for transportation fare higher that which they demand from able-bodied persons.
Zainab A. Sesay, the former Chairlady, mentioned that they as disabled women suffer Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) especially from their male counterparts who are also physically challenged.
“Our disabled men usually assault us. Many a times we report the matter to the nearest police station but officers in charge would ask us to settle the matter at home,” she said.
She pointed out that it seems as if SGBV laws do not cover women disability, adding that the police who are responsible to protect their rights tend to give a blind eye to violation against them.
She noted that they have training in skills, which when put into effect would earn them money to sustain their lives. She further raised concern over the lack of platform to exhibit their skills.
“Most of the disable women are hairdressers, some are seamstresses while others are good at Gara-tie-dying and Arts and Craft,” Sesay said.
Sesay is making a clarion call on government to institute a project that would contract them to make desks, chairs and tables and school uniforms from their skills as carpenters, tailors and other trades in a bid to provide job opportunities for them.
By Yeanoh Sesay
11/12/2020. ISSUE NO: 7965