Sola POPOOLA
Members of the Disability groups in Ekiti State on Friday staged a road walk in commemoration of the 16 Days Activism and the International Day of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs)
The programme was organised by a non Governmental organisation,Disability Not A Barrier Initiative( DINABIl with support Disabilty Fund
Themed: Unite to End Violence Against Women and Girls’ And ‘Amplifying the Leadership of Persons With Disabilities For an Inclusive and Sustainable Future’,the organisers said the walk was meant to create awareness on the rights and plights of PWDs in Ekiti .The event was graced by Leaders of other Civil Society groups .
Addressing the participants ,the Executive Director of DINABI, Olajide Funsho called on governments and the private sector to prioritize the inclusion of PWDs in their programmes .
“PWDs in Nigeria have been excluded in every strata of life be it in governance, education, employment, healthcare and the rest.
“We are using the opportunity to express our concerns over some of these things and to also call on relevant government agencies, private sectors to prioritize the Inclusion of PWDs .
“More importantly, we are also campaigning against GBV . Women and Girls with disabilities are facing even much more violence. It is becoming very rampant in our society and due to the nature of our disabilities, often times, it is difficult for our members to report such cases.
“We are using this medium to sensitize them and call on government to do more for us so that our people will know where to report their cases.”
In her remarks , the Disability Desk Officer NSCDC, DSC Yemisi Ajejuwon charged the PWDs to always speak up and report cases of violations to the appropriate authorities .She equally urged them not to abadone their case midway.
Another leader , Bankole Yemisola, ,who is the Women Coordinator of JONAPWD said the organisation is committed to ending GBV in Ekiti.