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Disability Rights and Inclusiveness in Africa Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 October 2022
Introduction
The 2010 census report estimates that about 3% of Ghanaians have disabilities, which translates into 737,743 (Ghana Statistical Services, 2012). The census data reveal that there were more women (52.5%) than men with disabilities (47.5%). However, the 2012 Human Rights Watch report shows a remarkable difference in the number of persons with disabilities (PwDs) (United States Department of State, 2012). The statistics indicate that about five million people in Ghana live with disabilities. The five million figure corroborates the World Health Organization (WHO)'s estimates that disability affects 15–20% of every country's population (WHO, 2016). Nevertheless, the Human Rights Watch report does not give gender-disaggregated data. Thus, the number of women with disabilities (WwDs) cannot be determined. But it can be deduced from the Ghana census report that WwDs are likely to outnumber their male counterparts.
Just like everyone, women and girls with disabilities (WGwDs) have inherent human rights which they should enjoy without impediment. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) recognizes that WGwDs fall within the intersection of disability and gender, which predisposes them to multiple disadvantages and discrimination that could impact their lives. Hence, the CRPD makes specific provisions for WGwDs in Article 6, Section 1:
States Parties recognize that women and girls with disabilities are subject to multiple discrimination, and shall take measures to ensure the full and equal enjoyment by them of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The concerns raised in the CRPD (Article 6[1]) are emphasized in the literature (Heymann, Stein, and Moreno, 2014; Mizunoya and Mitra, 2013; Mitra, Posarac, and Vick, 2011; Naami, 2014; WHO, 2020). Article 6(2), therefore, entreats States Parties to devise measures to ensure meaningful participation and inclusion of WGwDs in society and to fully enjoy their human rights:
2. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure the full development, advancement and empowerment of women, for the purpose of guaranteeing them the exercise and enjoyment of the human rights and fundamental freedoms set out in the present Convention.
Ghana signed and ratified the CRPD in 2007 and 2012, respectively. Earlier in 2006, the Ghanaian government promulgated its first ever legislation specifically targeting persons with disabilities (PwDs): the Persons with Disability Act (PwDA), Act 715. Ghana has yet to domesticate local policies to align with the CRPD.
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