On 30.11.2017, in hotel Holiday Inn in Skopje, National Network to End Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, in cooperation with UN agencies in the Republic of Macedonia, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, organized panel discussion on the topic “Women and girls with disabilities – potential victims of gender based violence”.
In the Republic of Macedonia there is no system of protection of women and girls with disabilities who have experienced some form of violence. The specialized services that are in place are not accessible and adjusted to the needs of this vulnerable group.
The event was opened by Louisa Vinton, UN Resident Coordinator, stating: “Women and girls with disabilities face double discrimination. They are denied equal access to education, health care and employment, and they face a higher risk of violence, abuse, mistreatment and exploitation. So we need to work doubly hard to ensure that they can enjoy their right to lead a full and independent life in the community in conditions of safety and security.”
After the opening, first speaker at the panel discussion was Elena Dimushevska, Executive Director of National Network to End Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, who spoke about the problem of lack of appropriate specialized services for support of women victims of gender based violence on the entire territory of the country, i.e. on the need of establishment of comprehensive system for support of victims of violence, from suitable space to trained staff.
The Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Mila Carovska, stated: “Violence against women and girls with disability will be included in all policies and measures for protection of victims. The services must be fully accessible to everyone. We cannot allow women with disabilities who have experienced violence to be excluded from the right to ask and receive appropriate help and support.”
Benjamin Perks, Representative of UNICEF in Macedonia, talked about the children subjected to violence and abuse: “Violence and neglect affect far more children and women globally and here than we previously thought. Children with disability are 3 times more likely to be affected than those without disability, 1 in 4 children witness domestic violence and 1 in 3 girls are victims of violence in childhood, but half never tell anyone about it. This leaves lasting scars that undermine learning, health and other outcomes throughout life. We can and we must end violence against women and children.”
Last of the speakers was Ema Ananievska, graduate student at the Faculty of Music, who talked about her personal experience of life with disability. She spoke about her education, the lack of support for persons with disability in the regular school system, as well as the enormous support she received from her family and friends which helped her to overcome all barriers.
The discussion was moderated by Ljuljeta Ademi, who is a person with disability and victim of violence, as she stated herself. She also talked about her personal experiences, about her struggles of obtaining help and support and the successful handling of the problems. She also emphasized the importance of raising this issue in the Albanian population and the minorities, where this problem is neglected and not addressed.
The discussion was organized with the aim to actualize the problem of violence against women and girls with disabilities, in order to be recognized as a serious problem in the society and receive due attention.
Agenda-women and girls with disabilities
