From Everest Ezihe, Owerri
Lamenting over the catalogue of woes women and girls living with disabilities in Nigeria passes through daily in the hands of their fellow country men, Mrs. Blessing Okorie has passionately appealed to Nigeria government and her citizens to stop treating women and girls living with disabilities as endangered species.
Okorie who’s the President, Women living with disabilities in Imo State gave this advise on Wednesday during an interactive media parley with these segments of special citizens organized by Center For The Right To Health,(CRH) as part of the programme for a 3- day residential training workshop for selected Imo State based Journalists.
CRH which is a non governmental nor profitable organization that promotes zero tolerance for violence against women and girls with disability held the intensive executive programme at Gold Crown hotel, Owerri.
According to her, ” because we’re physically challenged, we cannot easily move around, people unduely insults, abuse and molest us, they treat us like third class citizens, every day, we are psychologically and emotionally tortured and raped by the attitude of our fellow men towards us, unlike in other countries of the world, where people with our plights are honoured, respected and cared for. But rather in Nigeria we are humiliated, isolated and treated as nobody.
” It’s important to educate Nigerians that there are abilities in disabilities. We are equally created by God for destined purposes. We all are equal before God. We don’t need pity but an enabling environment with respect and we will excel. We are so grateful to Center For The Right To Health (CRH) for their concerns, advocacy and sensitization programmes. It’s only Almighty God that can reward them adequately” she prayed with tears rolling down her cheeks.
While commending CRH for crusading for their welfare and public acceptance under the organisational vision and mission of : Unite To Prevent Violence Against Women With Disabilities, the President insisted that women and girls that are physically challenged, deserves to be respected with inclusiveness in all works of life.
She maintained that the society should stop seeing them as evil and never do wells, after all, every body in life is disabled in one way or the other, lamenting that as special citizens, that they shed tears every day as they go about for sense of belonging in terms of making a living.
Okorie further expressed dismay that most public and private buildings in Nigeria have no ramp to ease their movement and accessibilities, moreso, that their woes are compounded by high level of family discriminations they are equally being subjected into, even as they have suffered alot in terms of exclusion in every endaevours of life.
” We have potentials to contribute in the upliftment of the Nigerian society. We should be treated with respect and dignity, after all, most of us are extremely intelligent and more educated than these our oppressors. We should be given equal opportunities for employment. We are products of God creation, unfortunately, most members of the society have caused us so much emotional and psychological pains” she insisted.
