DISABLED WOMEN SUFFER SEXUAL ABUSE IN SILENCE
By Alice Emasu, Kampala

January 20, 2004 – (New Vision - Kampala) It is a sunny day. Loice Alapo, 22, sits under a big mango tree, her crippled legs stretched out infront of her at Lwala Hospital in Kaberamaido. Her hands support her chin as she stares in space.

The teenage mother, lost her baby two weeks ago while delivering. If it were not for her parents who rushed her to hospital on a bicycle, Alapo would probably be no more. To date, however, Alapo's parents have failed to meet her hospital bill. They are busy searching in vain for the man responsible for the pregnancy who is on the run. He fled the village when Alapo's parents demanded that he marries her.

Sitting under the tree is Alapo's routine. She has hardly anything to eat or anyone to visit her in the hospital. Despite that, Alapo's worries more about the medical bill. She asks for money from anyone who approaches her saying she is fed up of the hospital environment.

"I wish I could know how to prevent pregnancy. I want to avoid annoying my parents. It would also minimise my chances of getting infected with the HIV virus," Alapo who says this is her second pregnancy with similar experience although from two different men, demands to know whether there is Family Planning (FP) and HIV/AIDS services for rural people.

A recent study on the knowledge and utilisation of reproductive health services including FP and HIV/AIDs by the disabled people show that many of them, particularly the women, lack knowledge and access to such services in the country.

The study conducted by Disabled Women's Network and Resource Organisation (DWNRO) in Kampala, Katakwi and Rakai also aimed at establishing constraints faced by disabled women while seeking reproductive health services.

It states that many disabled women are vulnerable to unwanted pregnancies and HIV/AIDS mainly because of their gender and the nature of their disability.

"While the physically disabled women cannot run away from their abusers, the deaf, dumb and blind cannot shout or protect themselves their abusers," says the study.

Some categories of disabled women, it states, cannot easily access FP and HIV/AIDS information from mass media. They cannot even insist on having protected sex and faithfulness from their partners. The study points out high levels of poverty, rape and non-use of contraceptives as the most common factors, which predispose disabled women to unwanted pregnancies and HIV/AIDS.

"Many of our colleagues are in constant need of good things including food, money and other necessities just like able bodied women.
Unfortunately, most of our parents don't provide these things. As a result, they resort to men who promise to meet their needs," quotes the study.
The director for DWNRO, Sara Nalule says many people with disabilities especially women are stigmatised and discriminated against which makes them more vulnerable to unwanted pregnancies and HIV infection.

Most families in Uganda, she says, reject disabled children, particularly girls and as a result, many disabled women lack formal education which is why most of them are ignorant about the existing FP and HIV/AIDS education programmes and services.

Nalule observes that partners of disabled women usually abandon them when they conceive. Although, she says episodes of pregnancy after rape and defilement also feature in the study.

She reveals that although young disabled women desire to have sex and children, most of them are made pregnant and dumped without any help. "No man wants be seen associating or having children with disabled women," says Nalule.

She says a few disabled women who are aware of the existing services, have not utilised them because, "some nurses ridicule, laugh and abuse them when they come up with problems."

Nalule says disabled women do not like to be asked questions, which require them to explain the circumstances under which they, for instance, get pregnant.

She says for the women who move by crawling, they complained that they get less attention from some medical officers mainly because they arrive at health facility looking untidy.

Julius Kamya, research director, the National Union of the Disabled People of Uganda (NUDIPU), says most disabled people accept financial promises from the opposite sex due to ignorance about the consequences of unwanted pregnancies and HIV/AIDS.

"Some disabled women are lured into sexual advances because of the highly held belief that most disabled people are HIV/AIDS free," Kamya says, adding it is very difficult for a disabled woman to reject sexual advances from men.

"Even after acquiring HIV/AIDS, many disabled women are not aware of the available counselling services that would help them to live positive with it," Kamya asserts. He also conceded that most disabled women cannot bargain for protected sex.

From: http://allafrica.com/stories/200401200499.html