Produced for Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ)
Sexual Violence in North West Nigeria
Women and girls with disabilities account for almost one-fifth of the world's ... and reproductive health (SRH) needs as women and girls without disabilities. According to the World Disability Report of 2011, over 25 million Nigerians have at least one disability and more than 50 percent of the 25 million Nigerians living with disabilities are female. Despite reports showing that over 15 percent of Nigeria’s population lives with at least one form of disability or another, the country neglects its most vulnerable group. Women Living with disability, who are pregnant or breastfeeding face similar hurdles as other Women. This should not be so, because persons with disability have specific health needs which must be specially catered for. Women with physical disabilities have greater unmet health needs than women without disability and reduced access to health information, screening, prevention. This special report will interrogate women with movement/physical disabilities as well as those with visual and speech impairment by casting a spotlight on their plights and how this affects their sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR). While SRHR, as it concerns women with disability, may be broad in scope and wide-ranging, this report will be narrowed down to focus on Freedom from Sexual Violence and Contraception/Family Planning/Unintended Pregnancy and how the situation interacts differently with their culture and education – situational analysis and reporting.