News Details

On 6 March, the Orlando Monteiro Auditorium (INR) hosted a Sharing Session as part of the celebrations of International Women’s Day and the 50th anniversary of 25 April, with the theme ‘Human Rights of Women with Disabilities – all count!’. The Session was attended by guests who were able to share their professional and personal reflections and contributed their experiences and knowledge.

Marina Van Zeller, Vice-President of the INR, opened the session in which she stressed the importance of the theme, the excellence of the panel and the desire that the initiative has the purpose of inspiring and driving concrete actions that promote inclusion and equal opportunities for all women, regardless of their abilities.

The round table, with the motto “Women with disabilities – a necessary look”, was moderated by Helena Alexandre, Director of the Research, Training and Development Unit of the INR, and discussed “Women’s Human Rights Treaties, 25 April, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities! What about the future?”

Sandra Ribeiro, Chair of the Commission for Citizenship and Equality between various aspects, stressed the need to give visibility to the rights of women and girls with disabilities, to foster joint work between institutions and to collect and make available concrete and incisive socio-demographic data that allow a better knowledge of reality. She mentioned the need and importance of empowering women and girls with disabilities to exercise their rights.

Alexandra Pimenta, former President of the INR, shared her international experience and highlighted, among other topics, the phase of consolidation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the practices of the various areas of political action, as well as the relevant role of the National Institute for Rehabilitation in the implementation of public policies promoting inclusion. His reflection was also to take a special look at the importance of the family context for the real possibility for women and girls with disabilities to participate fully in society.

For her part , Sara Rocha, Vice-Chair of the Women’s Committee of the European Disability Forum and the European Council of Autistic People, and a young woman with multiple disabilities, shared data and evidence from today’s reality, showing how women with disabilities are more likely to be subject to domestic violence and discrimination and also those who face more barriers when it comes to complaining or having access to support, either for lack of it or for lack of expertise. He stressed the importance of recognising the right to political participation and deepening the conditions for this, and proposed moving from ‘Nothing about us without us!’ to ‘Nothing without us!’.

The fourth intervention was given by Lia Ferreira, an architect specializing in accessibility and a researcher on mobility, inclusion and sustainability, and a woman with disabilities, who praised the enriching interventions already made by the other guests and stressed the importance of women's empowerment, especially in women with disabilities. It comprehensively underlined how accessibility is a first and fundamental condition for inclusion and the challenges still faced by persons with disabilities in this area. It acknowledged the relevance of the legal framework for accessibility in Portugal and its ongoing update. It also focused on the importance of the National Strategy for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2025 as a guiding/transformative document, both in terms of accessibility and in terms of non-institutionalisation and deinstitutionalisation of persons with disabilities.

The last person invited to speak was Manuela Ralha, Councillor of the Municipality of Vila Franca de Xira, an activist for the Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities and a woman with disabilities (she was the first woman in a wheelchair to be elected politician in Portugal) who, praising the previous interventions, also stressed the importance of empowering and empowering women with disabilities. She highlighted the fact that there are many women with different disabilities, highlighting those with intellectual disabilities for their invisibility and difficulty in understanding their contexts and rights. They are therefore the most vulnerable to violence and discrimination. These women suffer from a lack of knowledge and skills, ranging from the family to a lack of data and general accessibility conditions. She acknowledged that women with disabilities on the panel and those who usually have a voice are among the most privileged among women with disabilities, and that they still face many barriers, whether physical, attitudinal or social.

The session ended with a commitment to work together and a common will to promote the human rights of women with disabilities.

View or review the Share Session HERE