Maghreb conference tackles disabled women's issues

12/03/2009

Disabled women often endure both physical handicaps and discrimination. A ground-breaking forum in Tripoli tackled this issue and tried to find appropriate solutions.

By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tripoli – 12/03/09

[Jamel Arfaoui] Maghreb experts gather in Tripoli, Libya, to discuss issues faced by women with disabilities.

In the first conference of its kind in the Maghreb, human rights activists and NGO members recently gathered in Libya to launch an action plan to help disabled women reintegrate into society without discrimination or obstacles.

The Libyan Waatasemu Charity Association, in cooperation with General League of Disabled People in Libya, organised the three-day conference in Tripoli on Friday (March 6th) to discuss the challenges facing women with disabilities and the day-to-day life disabled women lead.

"The rise of unemployment rates, low salaries, difficulty of accessing medical care, scarcity of education opportunities, lack of services and programmes targeting disabled women, and rising danger of exposure to different forms of physical, psychological and sexual violations, are all challenges that disabled Maghreb women have to face," said Bassam Aisha, a Libyan expert in humanitarian issues.

Aisha said that the conference accurately diagnosed these issues, and participants managed to come up with suggestions to end the negative consequences.

The new action plan, dubbed the "Tripoli Work Approach", encourages society to respect and preserve the human dignity of disabled Maghreb women, to respect their freedom and right to self-determination. It also calls for respecting their particularities and individual independence.

The plan also advocates women's rights to protection against all forms of discrimination and to full and effective participation in society.

Aisha Kadhafi, daughter of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi and Secretary-General of the Waatasemu Association, announced a programme aimed at putting an end to violence against women in Libya.

The plan, she said, consists of three parts: firstly, the creation of a phone number (15-15), which Libyan women can call to report violations; secondly, the creation of a unit of Libyan policewomen; and lastly, the building of a club and cultural complex dedicated to Libyan women.

The conference also featured several workshops that allowed Maghreb women to highlight their experiences and exchange ideas.

"These are experiences with different levels of success, especially as there are Maghreb countries that are advanced in this field," said Aisha Zinay, an Algerian expert in women's rights issues. "We can benefit from the experiences of supervisors of different disabilities programmes."

Wided Tounzi, a Moroccan woman suffering from a hearing disability, gave her opinion of the conference.

"I was able to present a positive image of women with disabilities," she said. "I explained to participants that with strong will and seriousness, we can overcome our disabilities."

Magharebia learned from Libyan official sources that another meeting will be held in Tripoli in three months for Maghreb experts. The meeting will approve the recommendations of the previous meeting and task Waatasimu Charity Association and the General League of Disabled People in Libya to lay down an executive plan and mechanisms for monitoring and follow-up.