Available data shows women with disabilities experience higher rates of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) than women without disabilities.
Women with intellectual disabilities are particularly vulnerable to SGBV because they can’t express themselves when they are abused and most of them do not know what constitutes sexual abuse. There is lack of progressive laws on sexual violence committed against mentally challenged women and girls.
The Penal Code section 146 refers to them as “idiots and imbeciles”, which is derogatory, this makes it hard for community members to believe them when they are abused. As a result of the increased risk of sexual violence, women with disabilities are also at risk of getting sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.
She Achieves is working to prevent and respond to Sexual and Gender Based Violence through implementing the following strategic interventions:
- Enhancing awareness on how communities can take action to prevent and respond to SGBV.
- Capacity building of justice actors on how to handle survivors of SGBV with disabilities.
- Advocating for reasonable accommodation of persons with disabilities in the Kenyan justice system.
- Providing free legal aid services to survivors of SGBV with disabilities.
- Providing referral and linkages services to survivors of SGBV with disabilities.
- Advocating for formulation and implementation of laws that protect girls and women against SGBV.