Handicapped people defend their rights
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)