Assessment of the Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability, and Quality of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Gender-Based Violence, and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services for Persons with Disabilities in Selected States in Myanmar

Description: 

"1 Introduction More than one billion people experience some form of disability globally. The disability prevalence rate is higher in developing countries and among marginalised groups such as women, older people, those in the poorest wealth quantile, and those living in rural areas. Persons with disabilities who belong to these groups are more likely to experience challenges accessing essential social services such as education, health, and employment, further pushing them to the margins of society. In Myanmar, the disability prevalence rate is 12.8 per cent, which is about 5.9 million people. According to the latest intercensal survey conducted in 2019, the country follows the global trend – disability prevalence is higher among women than men, older people, and those living in rural areas. Recognising that persons with disabilities in Myanmar face challenges in different spheres of life, hence the need to promote and protect their rights, the Government of Myanmar ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on December 07, 2011. The ratification of the CRPD paved the way to enact the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2015 and the by-law/regulations in 2017. Nevertheless, marginalisation is still present among the members of the disability sector in Myanmar as they are less likely to receive education, gain decent employment, marry, or have access to various amenities and facilities enjoyed by those without disabilities. In particular, there is an urgent need to address the situation of women and girls with disabilities who experience discrimination at the intersection of their gender and disability. Their situation is further exacerbated by the country's Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the ongoing military coup d’état. Since 1973, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Myanmar has provided continuous support to different target priorities, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and the prevention of gender-based violence (GBV). One key programme that promotes these priorities is the Women and Girls First (WGF) Programme. This multi-year and multi-donor initiative supports the integrated service delivery of SRHR and GBV response programming across humanitarian, peacebuilding, and development nexus. The Programme’s second phase (2019-2022) focuses on integrating SRHR, GBV prevention and response interventions, and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services to safeguard the rights of women and girls to access comprehensive services that are essential in achieving their rights. To ensure that persons with disabilities are not left behind in the delivery of integrated SRHR, GBV and MHPSS services, the UNFPA WGF Programme commissioned this study to identify the needs of persons with disabilities at the programme level. This study included identifying the barriers to and facilitators of the services delivered by the WGF Programme’s implementing partners and formulating recommendations to improve the disability inclusion component in the delivery of integrated SRHR, GBV and MHPSS services..."

Source/publisher: 

United Nations Population Fund

Date of Publication: 

2023-06-28

Date of entry: 

2023-06-28

Grouping: 

  • Individual Documents

Category: 

Countries: 

Myanmar

Language: 

English

Local URL: 

Format: 

pdf

Size: 

1.91 MB (208 pages) - Original version

Resource Type: 

text

Text quality: 

    • Good