Seminar on ‘rights of disabled woman’ held

Thiruvananthapuram: Minister for higher education and social justice R Bindu inaugurated ‘rights of disabled woman’ seminar on Tuesday. Inaugurating the event she said more self-help groups in the line of Kudumbasree are needed to be formed for the social empowerment of disabled women. The minister said that it is a social responsibility to uplift the disabled women to all the realms of the society.
The seminar was organised by the state Women's Commission with the support of the national Women's Commission. “The state government is in the process of implementing barrier free Kerala project as part of making the state the first disabled friendly state in the country. They should be able to step into all realms of the society with confidence. There shall not be any discrimination in public spaces, colleges and transport facilities,” the minister said.
She pointed out that disabled women are subjected to physical, mental and financial exploitation. “Often they are unable to respond and remain in silence. The legal system has to be strengthened. Steps shall be taken to ensure the enforcement of provisions under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016,” the minister said.
She added that assistive technology will be used to make strong interventions towards empowering disabled women.
The government is collaborating with Chennai IIT in implementing ways to overcome disabilities with the help of technology. Women’s Commission chairperson P Sathidevi was also present on the occasion.