Design of a tool to measure stigma experienced by women and girls with disabilities

A project focusing on women and girls with disabilities in countries affected by conflict and humanitarian crises, in partnership with the UN Development Project.

Women and girls with disabilities face barriers in most areas of life. These barriers create situations of multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination against women and girls with disabilities, in particular with regard to: equal access to education, economic opportunities, social interaction and justice; equal recognition before the law; and the ability to participate in politics and to exercise control over their own lives across a range of contexts, for example with regard to health care.

To date, there has been little research in low and middle income countries (LMICs) on the mechansms by which stigma of persons with disabiltites can be reduced. This is the first attempt to develop an evidence-based tool kit to allow a better understanding of women's and girls' experiences in diverse settings and cultural contexts, and to support future interventions. In developing the tool and supporting the UN Development Project in piloting it in countries with a recent history of conflict and humanitarain crises, the team will pay particular attention to sexual and gender-based violence and other major risks to the acievement of equal rights for women and girls with disabilities.