The Ghana Federation of Disability Organization, GFD, has called for urgent action by duty bearers and other state actors on opening up access and ensuring participation of women with disabilities in the digital space to scale up inclusivity and growth of the sector.
In a statement to mark International Women’s Day, the GFD bemoaned the aggravated discriminatory barriers women with disabilities have to contend with, which undermine their prospects of fully exploiting their digital skills, potential and contributing meaningfully to society.
International Women’s Day is a global event celebrated annually on March 8, as a focal point in the women’s rights movement. It is to bring attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence against women. The UN theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is “Digital: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. The theme seeks to bridge the gap of exclusion through the promotion of mainstreaming of women in the digital space.
The Ghana Federation of Disability Organization called for access and participation of women with disability in the digital space to scale up the inclusivity and growth of the sector. It said, from the earliest days of computing to the current era of virtual reality and artificial intelligence, women have made tremendous contributions to the digital world.
Achievements of women have stood against all odds, in a field that has historically neither welcomed nor appreciated them. The statement added that a wide gender gap in digital access prevents women from tapping into the full potential of technology. The Federation is therefore charging policymakers to take a bolder step forward to make the digital world safer, more inclusive, and more equitable for women especially those with disability.
It, therefore, bemoaned the aggravated discriminatory barriers women with disabilities have to contend with comparatively, which undermine their prospects of fully exploiting their digital skills, and potential and contributing meaningfully to society. It also urged the disability community, to ensure the spotlight captures the voice of women and girls with disabilities to ensure none is left behind in the digital world.