Need to make sexual health of PWDs a priority
PWDs have been conceptualised as asexual, subjecting them to sexual discrimination and injustices.
What you need to know:
- PWDs have been conceptualised as asexual, subjecting them to sexual discrimination and injustices such as confinement, forced sterilisation and rape.
- Promoting equal access to sexual reproductive health and rights information and services for all will give everyone a fulfilling life.
The Constitution provides for the right to the highest attainable standard of health, including reproductive health. But people with disabilities (PWDs) face numerous barriers in accessing sexual and reproductive health services with their rights often unmet. The challenges range from individual, environmental, attitudinal and institutional.
The WHO estimates that 15 per cent of the world’s population have a disability with the highest prevalence of disabilities in lower-income countries. According to the 2019 census, 2.2 per cent of Kenyans have a disability. They are more likely to be unemployed, uneducated and living in poverty and experience inequalities in accessing healthcare. Achieving sustainable development goals is not possible if the needs of people with disability are underserved.
PWDs have been conceptualised as asexual, subjecting them to sexual discrimination and injustices such as confinement, forced sterilisation and rape. Despite their vulnerabilities being known, these attitudes and stereotypes have affected programming, resource allocation and planning of sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR) interventions, leading to negative reproductive health outcome for PWDs.
Comprehensive sexuality education
Notably, the are independent with the same SRHR as non-disabled persons, including the right to bodily autonomy and self-determination. Promoting equal access to SRHR information and services for all will give everyone a fulfilling life. It is essential that PWDs are provided with the right social, physical and policy environment to exercise their right to SRHR access.
PWDs present with unique needs. But since the general healthcare rights for all persons are the same, promote more research tailored around these services for PWDs to ensure their specific needs are met. There is a need to advocate comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and information education and communication materials (IEC) that meet the specific needs of PWDs.
Ms Obonyo is the youth project coordinator for Reproductive Health Network Kenya. [email protected]
