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Women and girls with disabilities in Zimbabwe speak about their challenges

21 October 2020

Last update:20 April 2023

Women and girls with disabilities in Zimbabwe’s Mutasa District in Manicaland Province were given a platform to share the challenges they face, among them Sexual Gender Violence (SGBV), Gender Based Violence (GBV), stigma and discrimination and the impact of Covid-19.

During a training on lobbying and advocacy for women and girls with disabilities conducted by the Federation of Organisations of Disabled People in Zimbabwe (FODPZ), a Spotlight Initiative implementing partner working with UNESCO, women and girls with disabilities shared the ordeals they face in their communities and workplaces on account of their gender and disabilities.

The stories shed light on the plight of women and girls with disabilities in Zimbabwe and how the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the challenges they face. They lack basic personal protective equipment including masks.

58 year old Mary Mushayi (not real name) explained how she shared a mask with her entire family.

My family and I used to share one mask because we could not afford to buy new masks. We would take turns to go out using the same mask and at times some would go out without the mask making us more exposed to the virus.

Mary Mushayi

She thanked the Spotlight Initiative, UNESCO and FODPZ for providing her with face masks.

She said access to public transport was also a serious challenge for persons with disabilities as they could not sustain the pressure on the queues.

Public transport has been inadequate for a long time. For someone like me with a physical disability, I cannot withstand the pressure in those queues and I have foregone many things including going to collect medication from health centres.

Mary Mushayi

Women with disabilities also said they face abuse as well as stigma and discrimination in the community and workplaces.

52-year-old Tsitsi Moyo (not real name) with a physical disability narrated how she struggles to find employment despite being literate, qualified, capable and in possession of a certificate in secretarial studies.

The problem is that each time I go to companies looking for a job like others, I am often discriminated against and I have not been able to make use of my certificates. At one point, I went to a certain organization and instead of being welcomed like other applicants everyone started looking at me and i felt robbed of my confidence.

Tsitsi Moyo

FODPZ with support from UNESCO trained women and girls with disabilities to become self-advocates and build their capacities to meaningfully engage in dialogue with local authorities, lawmakers and decision makers on disability rights, addressing GBV, SGBV, Harmful Practices (HPs), Covid-19, and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights issues affecting them and their peers.

The lobbying and advocacy training in Mutasa District helped in shifting the mentality of women and girls with disabilities, allowing them to see themselves as individuals with rights not objects of charity. They attained the knowledge on how best to self-represent and fight against GBV and SGBV and speak up about their sexual and reproductive health rights.

The Spotlight Initiative activities targeting women and girls with disabilities in Manicaland Province have received support from the Provincial leadership, with the Office of the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs, committing to promote the recognition and respect for the rights of women and girls with disabilities and persons with disabilities in general as enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe, and to include them in decision making structures, including in emergency response mechanisms such as the Covid-19 task force.