January 2011 - Blackherbals.com

Continued from page 23 –Living with Disabilities in UgandaEdna seemed shy, rounding her shoulders protectivelyover her baby. She was breastfeeding, and I could see theburn scars on the top of her head. Despite her initial selfconsciousness,she told us her story, starting with the firethat led to her blindness.She had lived in a rural village that she said had beenattacked by the Lord's Resistance Army, a notorious rebelgroup. The rebels burned down her house with 12 peopleinside, she said. She was one of the few to survive, buther burns left her blind and partially deaf.Despite the hardships she endured, Edna still smiled,emanating personal warmth. As she told me how shesupported her children by begging, I thought of my ownbaby, a bit younger than Edna's, living in very differentcircumstances in the United States.An estimated 20 percent of Ugandans have disabilities.This figure is probably higher in the war-torn north,where government troops fought the LRA. Thegovernment forced people into squalid camps, which cutoff their access to health care and led to an increase indisabling diseases like polio. Many people also lost theuse of limbs due to landmines or gunshot wounds.In Uganda's primarily agrarian society, women withdisabilities are often labeled "useless" by family andneighbors. They often can't fetch water or work in thefields. Many don't go to school. I spoke with one deafwoman whose children were avoided by neighbor kidsbecause they didn't want to catch 'deafness.'As Ugandans in the north struggle to reclaim their lives,women with disabilities are being left behind.These women tend to be isolated and shunned, hidden intheir communities. No one drops by to see how they are,to offer to help them in the fields, or to take them to thedoctor. It's as if they're invisible.I was shocked to find out how many of the women withdisabilities I spoke with had been abandoned by theirmen. Other men would use them for sex. Some womensaid people in their village taunted men whose partnershad a disability.More than one-third of the 64 women and girls withdisabilities we interviewed said that they had beensexually abused, beaten, or raped. Their disabilities madethem vulnerable to attack - they couldn't physicallydefend themselves, and they were isolated from theircommunities. People view them as weak and stupid, aneasy target. Such assaults increase their risk of HIVinfection, as does the abandonment by their sexualpartners.But the voices of people with disabilities in Uganda aregrowing stronger. The government has ratified a majorinternational treaty on disability rights and is activelyconsulting people with disabilities on issues that affectthem. The key is to ensure that the government takeswomen with disabilities into consideration whileplanning Uganda's post-war reconstruction.After we released our report, the UN Population Fundagreed to do more training about disabilities with theirstaff working on violence against women. The agencyalso pledged to compile data on the number of womenwith disabilities who experience violence in Uganda.This is an essential step - without knowing this number,it's impossible to know whether programs meant to helpwomen with disabilities are reaching them.Human Rights Watch is supporting local disabilitygroups as they develop an anti-discrimination campaignand a project on violence against women withdisabilities. We are regularly in contact with the stateminister on disability and elderly affairs and UNagencies.Additionally, the committee monitoring the UNConvention on the Elimination of All Forms ofDiscrimination against Women (CEDAW) raisedconcerns with Uganda's government about how womenwith disabilities are faring, drawing even moreinternational attention to the issue.Edna continued telling us her story. The father of herfirst child, now 6, was killed by the LRA. Her baby'sfather, ashamed of being associated with a blindwoman, abandoned her when she became pregnant.When she went to a clinic for prenatal care, Ednalearned that she was HIV-positive. When I asked herhow she coped, she said her 6-year-old has to lead herto the hospital to collect her antiretroviral drugs.After our conversation, Edna walked us out of herhome. I couldn't believe how much she had dealt with -the brutality of the conflict, her loss of sight, livingwith HIV, being a single mom, living in poverty.Despite it all, she had found a way to take care ofherself and her family with such grace. It's people likeEdna who really inspire me to do this work. I just hopethat our research and advocacy will lead to changes thatwill empower the millions of women like Edna.http://allafrica.com/stories/201012011161.html☻☻☻☻☻☻In the U.S., over 1 million people a year are abused insome way. We're including sexual abuse, physicalabuse, and psychological or emotional abuse.☻☻☻☻☻☻-24- Traditional African Clinic January 2011