Inclusion Europe, the European Disability Forum and the European Women’s Lobby express their concern about the lack of women with disabilities at the conference held on 24 May on Women’s Rights at the Crossroads: Strengthening International Co-operation to Close the Gap between Legal Frameworks and their Implementation.
While this event rightly addresses violence against women and girls, we are concerned that it does not include any representatives of women with disabilities.
There are 46 million women and girls with disabilities in Europe.
Women with disabilities are 2 to 5 times more likely to be victims of violence than non-disabled women. They are subject to sterilisation and abortions against their will.
6 out of every 10 women with intellectual disabilities reported sexual violence.
How can the Council of Europe leave out such a significant part of those affected by violence and abuse?
Nothing about us without us.
More information about violence against women with intellectual disabilities
The European Disability Forum is an umbrella organisation of persons with disabilities that defends the interests of 80 million Europeans with disabilities. EDF is a unique platform which brings together representative organisations of persons with disabilities from across Europe. It is run by persons with disabilities and their families. EDF is a strong, united voice of persons with disabilities in Europe.
The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) brings together the women’s movement in Europe to influence the general public and European Institutions in support of women’s human rights and equality between women and men. We are the largest European umbrella network of women’s associations representing a total of more than 2000 organisations in all EU Member States and Candidate Countries, as well as 18 European-wide organisations representing the diversity of women and girls in Europe.
Inclusion Europe is European movement of people with intellectual disabilities and their families in Europe. Since 1988 Inclusion Europe fights for equal rights and full inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and their families in all aspects of life. The organisation has members in 39 European countries.
