Discrimination, disability and disaggregated data
At the 57th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Thursday 26th September 2024, MRG’s Disability Intersectional Programme Officer Sira Thiam delivered this statement as part of the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples.
Watch the video statement or read on for the transcript.
Mr. Special Rapporteur,
My name is Sira Thiam and I am the Disability Project Officer at Minority Rights Group. On behalf of our partner the Indigenous Persons with Disabilities Global Network, we warmly welcome your report on indigenous persons with disabilities.
As emphasized in your report, indigenous women and girls with disabilities face intersecting forms of discrimination and unique forms of violence. Their discrimination is compounded by cultural and racial discrimination.
We want to stress the particular vulnerability of indigenous women and girls with disabilities in relation to sexual and reproductive health and rights, with lack of awareness about their health needs and rights and of access to adequate healthcare, resulting in higher rates of early marriages, higher incidence of uterus prolapses and of maternal mortality and morbidity. Additionally, many indigenous women with disabilities around the world are at risk of involuntary sterilization, decided by family members and health professionals without their free, prior, and informed consent.
In Nepal, indigenous people with disabilities still face barriers in establishing representative organizations due to discrimination based on their indigeneity. Indigenous people with disabilities face harassment and discrimination by service providers, blocking their access to key services. According to a study by UNDP, 80% of Nepali indigenous people with disabilities report having inadequate or poor access to public services and facilities.
The lack of disaggregated data makes it difficult to fully assess the situation of groups who hold multiple marginalized identities. In most countries worldwide, such data is not collected. Where it is, it is often not disaggregated, analysed, or published. Lack of data results in the absence of relevant policy and budget allocations.
Without a robust understanding of the experiences of indigenous people with disabilities, government programmes and policies often fail disabled people within indigenous communities.
I thank you.
Featured image: Manase Saitoti Ntutu, co-chair of the Indigenous Persons with Disabilities Global Network and chairperson of Narok South Disability Network. Credit: Endorois Indigenous Women Empowerment Network (EIWEN).
