Handicapped people defend their rights

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Disabled Peoples' Association yesterday condemned the denial of disabled women's reproductive rights in some foreign countries.

"We believe that every woman, be she disabled or not, has the undisputed reproductive right as part of her numerous human rights," the association's Chairman Koesbiono Sarmanhadi said during a press conference on a planned seminar and regional assembly of the Disabled Peoples' International Organization.

Koesbiono explained that some countries, such as Australia, have encouraged disabled women to undergo a hysterectomy or other surgical procedures so they would not be bothered by menstruation and pregnancy.

These surgeries, he said, were performed on the pretext that they would help women cope with daily problems. So if a woman is disabled, she is considered as having more problems.

Koesbiono said the association hopes that denial of reproductive rights would not be experienced by Indonesians.

He said although the issue was not on the agenda of the forthcoming regional assembly, there was a possibility it would be raised.

The Asia Pacific branch of the Canada-based Disabled Peoples' International will hold its fourth regional assembly and 12th leadership training seminar from Sunday through Friday next week at the Kartika Chandra Hotel in Jakarta.

The Disabled Peoples' International main concern, currently, is to fight for the rehabilitation and the equality and equalization of opportunity for disabled people.

Some 300 participants from 33 countries will take part in the events. Foreign participants will make up half of those attending with the other 150 representatives coming from Indonesia's 27 provinces as well as the Indonesian Disabled Peoples' Association members.

The conference, which will be officially opened by President Soeharto, coincides with the 1993-2002 Asia Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons announced by the United Nations' Economic and Social commission for Asia Pacific.

Topics to be discussed include women with disabilities, the role of the family in mainstreaming persons with disabilities, access to higher education, access to open labor market and accessibility and a step by step guide to eliminate physical barriers. Exchange of information is also expected to take place between participants.

According to statistics of the World Health Organization 10 percent of the world's total population are people with disabilities and 60 percent of this number live in the Asia Pacific region. (pwn)