Enabling the Disabled

At a recent conference held in Kolkata, delegates from South Asian countries discussed the rights of physically challenged women. At a recent conference held in Kolkata, delegates from South Asian countries discussed how the rights of physically challenged women could be secured in mainstream society. Representatives from Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh talked about the discrimination they faced on a daily basis. “We did a survey in Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa and found differently-abled women go through hell,” says Debarati Sarkar of the Association for Women with Disabilities. Government officials and members from various industrial sectors were also invited to speak.