Women with disabilities have been the most vulnerable section of the society in Jammu and Kashmir. They are not participating in most of the social processes. Women with disabilities have been facing maximum challenges, due to barriers hence not able to participate as responsible citizens.
The first and foremost barrier is the non acceptance; birth of female baby and that too with disability is seen as a disaster in families. The other barriers include stereotypes and labels associated with females with disabilities.
The discrimination between siblings happen in families, the non disable siblings are admitted in private schools and the females with disabilities are either not admitted because of severe disability or admitted to local government school without care and investments.
Thus after few years such female students with disabilities ultimately get dropped out. The females with disabilities are not taken for outing and are denied to mix up in social gatherings.
The female children with disabilities are not prioritized for recreation, rehabilitation services, schooling, trainings and play with other children in the neighborhoods.
The women with disabilities are not getting opportunities of employment and thereafter losing parental support these women are not married but are dependent on parents. After losing parental support the women with disabilities get segregated and stand excluded from social fabric.
Mostly women with disabilities are not accepted for marriages; even the families of males with disabilities do not accept disable brides. The employers do not mostly accept the women with disabilities as part of man power even when Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 direct the Corporate or private sector to compose 5% of the manpower from disability sector.
The women with disabilities have serious issues of unemployment in J&K. They are not accepted as work force in corporate sector of J&K, despite Rights of persons with disabilities Act – 2016, CHAPTER VI section 35 that five percent of corporate sector should be reserved for them. Women with disabilities are supposed to get the employment under quota, in all government jobs identified through Job identification government circular.
Thus women with disabilities face immense problems. They are mostly dependent. There is very meagre social security given to all persons with disabilities including women – rupees one thousand.
Women with disabilities are not considered for special concessions when employed. Although there are several circulars and guidelines issued by Department of personnel and training (DOPT) Government of India.
Legal support
Although laws and legislations at international and national level, including policies and guidelines are in place with special sections and references in favour of women with disabilities are but women still face discrimination, abuse and exclusion from social processes.
The women with disabilities are not getting proper support system after loss of parental support. There is no proper societal care and protection mechanism in societies. Thus a huge number of women with disabilities face isolation and complete exclusion because of non implementation of such laws.
Case Study 1
A woman Sabina (name changed) has been working in a university as ministerial staff. The woman has been facing severe orthopedic disability. She is drawing consolidated salary for many years. The rising prices have increased her expenses as she is not able to utilize the general inaccessible passenger transport.
She has been using a personal vehicle to reach the duty. The university as a special case can regularize her services and increase her salary but despite her representations her request is not considered.
Thus her life is full of odds and hardships as her husband is also a person with disability and he too has been working as teacher in a private school against the meagre amount.
The couple with disability possess a 4 year dependent. Sabina’s life is highly expensive but there is no consideration for the support of woman with disability who has been serving the university for around six years. In such cases the autonomous bodies need to give special treatment to make lives of women employees with disabilities easier and dignified.
Case Study 2
A woman with disability Masooda ( name changed) is born cerebral palsy. Her movement was restricted due to multiple disabilities. She could have recovered but due to lack of rehabilitation services in the area she was not taken to any rehabilitation centre thus she remained confined to home since her birth. Masooda has no brother but younger sister.
The sister got married and it came on old aged parents. After two years of sister’s marriage, death of father took place and two and half years later, mother of the woman with disability died. There was one option left, uncle and aunt of the lady; they were taking complete care of her but suddenly uncle of Masooda was diagnosed with CA and died.
The widow of the person remarried and Masooda was completely alone. Now Masooda’s sister is visiting her during night hours but during day time Masooda is completely alone. Like Masooda there are many cases in J&K where women with disabilities have been facing the lonliness.
Case Study 3
Shahzada ( name changed) is a middle aged woman who got affected by mental illness at the age of 20. She was taken to psychiatry hospital at Srinagar. Doctors put her on psychiatry drugs for the behavior change. She couldn’t recover much but remained drug dependent forever.
She lost her father and whole responsibility came on the mother of Shahzada. Both the mother and daughter were dependent on Social Security Grant given by Social Welfare Department. Most of the family economy was spent on the medication of Shahzada.
Thus family started living hand to mouth. Their social isolation increased. Due to behavioral issues, she was avoided by the relatives and her mother remained stuck to her as caregiver. Thus both stopped visiting relatives and thus faced isolation. In 1998 the mother died. Now the woman with disability has been living alone and is dependent on the integrated social security pension amount and charity of others.
Case study No. 4
Gulzar Ahmad and her sister Shagufta have been facing cerebral palsy. Both have been facing multiple or severe disabilities since birth not able to communicate or and walk.
Both siblings were not given education because the local school had no arrangements for the children with disabilities. Due to developmental delays the siblings were in need of physiotherapy sessions and other developmental therapies.
Both siblings spent their idle life in their home with parents. Father died few years back and now old aged mother has been only support for the siblings with severe disabilities.
The family has been living in a very miserable conditions and the old-aged mother has been living in a dilemma how her dependents will live without the support of parents.
The society has been giving any acceptance to her dependents while she is alive and what about their support in future course of time without the parental and sibling support. The trio have been now living a life in exclusion without a purpose or just waiting for the death.
Case study No. 5
Safia was detected as child with Down’s syndrome disability. She was brought up by her parents. The sister has been married and now living in another district.
Brother has been doing job in another country. Father died of CA years ago. Now the old-aged mother is the lone supporter and caregiver of the young lady with developmental disability.
Safia has been to a private institution and with the help of mothers support; the school authorities clearly gave only assurance of day care. Hence the education was not of standard design because of lack of special educators in the school.
Thus Safia lived a life under the supervision of mother only and couldn’t make peers in school and in the neighborhood. She was not exposed to outdoor activities and even couldn’t build her capacity to the extent to seek eligibility for any work or employment.
Thus life of Safia is completely dependent and segregated. From past forty years Safia has been living socially excluded life with a kind of labelling that she cannot manage life of her own.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.
(Note: The names in this article may be considered as changed)