CBM Australia calls to leave no woman behind
Media-release, Stories | February 21, 2024
In its Leave No One Behind: Gender equality, disability inclusion, and leadership for sustainable development report, CBM Australia calls for the development sector to bridge the gap between gender and disability to ensure we leave no one behind and meet the 2030 Agenda.
The Leave No One Behind report highlights the discrimination that exists at the intersection of gender, disability and poverty and how this affects women and girls with disabilities in accessing employment, education, and health care.
Jane Edge, Chief Executive of CBM Australia, said, “Our report shows that women and girls with disabilities are still falling behind. In developing countries, the research tells us that 58.6% of men with disabilities access employment opportunities compared with only 20.1% of women with disabilities.
“Women and girls with disabilities are two to three times more likely to experience physical or sexual violence than women without disabilities.
“Yet in 2014, only 1.5% per cent of specific funding for women’s and girls’ rights focused on women and girls with disabilities. And within disability rights funding, only 9.5% per cent focused on women and girls with disabilities.
“While it is encouraging to see efforts made to bring together the gender equality and disability rights movements at a global level, these statistics show there is much to be done at the grassroots.
“At its heart, our report has one clear message: that in seeking to leave no woman behind, we should be led by women and girls with disabilities themselves.”
CBM was proud to partner with Nguyen Thi Lan Anh – a determined Vietnamese advocate, leader of a local non-government organisation representing people with disabilities, and director of a CBM partner project which also received support from the Australian Government, through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).
Ms Nguyen’s organisation, Action to the Community Development Centre (ACDC), works to empower communities of people with disabilities, especially women and youth and those living in poverty. CBM was delighted to have Ms Nguyen join us at our event to launch the report, bringing her expertise and lived experiences.
“We must end gender and disability existing as separate conversations. As a global community we are obliged to take the necessary and inclusive steps to address gender and disability together, in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and achieve the 2030 Agenda,” says Ms Nguyen.
Download the entire report, including the recommendations.
CBM Australia is an ACFID member and part of Micah Australia and the Campaign for Australian Aid.
https://www.cbm.org.au/stories/cbm-australia-calls-leave-no-woman-behind