Bangladesh: Disability Study

Executive Summary

Disability issues demand a wide range of program coverage relating to all common types of disability in the community. Development of effective and efficient program interventions and strategy require availability of adequate support materials and documents on different issues related to disability. In recent times development organizations have taken extensive programs for the empowerment and development of women in Bangladesh. But limited efforts have been laid on women and adolescent girls with disabilities.

Centre for Services and Information on Disability (CSID), is a development organization working with disability with intensive focus on study and research on disability concerned issues. It has undertaken an intensive study on situation of disabled women and adolescent girls with disability. The study was made in association with Program for Research on Poverty alleviation of Grameen Trust.

The objective of the study was to come up with a comprehensive socio-economic and psychological analysis of status of women and adolescent girls with disabilities in Bangladesh to provide information to development program planners for designing and implementing need-based development interventions for women and adolescent girls with disabilities.

The Summary of the Study Findings:

The study team after compilation of all data received through questionnaire, focus group discussions and conversation with relevant individuals and review of case studies came up with the following findings. These reflects situation of disable girls and women showing different areas of concern.

Types and Degrees of Disability:

The findings as per the breakup of disability among girls with disabilities and women with disabilities appeared broadly the same. The major group has physical disability, 37.33% among adolescence, and 40% among women. Speech and hearing, visual and intellectual follow this. Multiple disability were seen the least at a compiled figure of 10%. One of the significant reasons for identification of such highest percentage of physical disability might be the more visibility of physically disabled in comparison to other disability. This otherwise means that the other disabled seems to be more invisible in the society.

In the compiled figures on degree of disability, the highest figure was seen at 'moderate', at 36.13%. The lowest was at 'profound', at 9.35%. The interesting point to note in comparison was at 'severe', where the increase in percentage from girl with disability to woman with disability is eye-catching. A reason for this could be that due to lack of proper care and services a steady deterioration of the state of disability occurs for girls and women with the passage of time. As the figure shows that the percentage of multiple and profound disabled are much lower then moderate, it reflects the scope of inclusion in development process of a larger percentage of adolescent girls and women with disabilities with disabilities.

Treatment:

93.33% of girls with disabilities and 97.50% of women with disabilities have in some stages of their lives received some kind of treatment due to their impairment and disability. In time as it unveils that no cure is possible, most families become hopeless and refrain from seeking essential services for girls and women with disabilities. This disillusionment pays a heavy toll on the girls and women with disabilities. The families of the interviewed girls and women with disabilities have sought treatment from a varied range of sources. The family members paid 89% of the treatment costs.

Education:

Disability is a barrier to education. Only 3.75% have proceeded on to university education in the woman with disability group. The highest enrollment can be seen in the primary school at 21.25% for women with disabilities and 30.67% for girls with disabilities.

A massive 64% (average figures of girls with disabilities and women with disabilities combined) dropout rate occurs from primary to secondary level. 36.06% of the women with disabilities and 36.58% of the girls with disabilities were either teased or their ventures to study were not supported (not in favor) by other members of their surrounding environment. The study did not have much scope to find out the reasons for such high rate of dropout. It demands further in-depth study on the particular issue.

People concerned with education management and family members are the basic factors for isolation of disabled persons as a whole in the prevailing system of education.

Most of the girls and women with disability who are in education attend in formal educational due to provision of free primary education. The second highest number of learners attends in non-formal education because of the low cost, flexible environment, convenient time, relaxation of age limit, use of appropriate teaching materials/ curriculum, and continuous assessment system.

Enrolment in special education is much lower being expensive, not fully accessible due to far distance and being urban based. Persons with hearing, visual, intellectual and multiple disabilities had to face various problems for enrollment in such education.

The school authorities refuses disable learner to enroll them in education because of doubt on their potentials and lack of proper policies.

Accessibility to the educational institution is one of the major problems for girls and women with physical disabilities.

Disabled girls residing in hostels face problems due to absence of female house parent which limits sharing of feminine and other essential needs. The most humiliating thing is that the teachers are also involved in teasing their disabled learners.

Community people and even the school teachers do not have proper knowledge or understanding about disabilities, as there are no such scope for giving orientation on disability issues.

In spite of all these inconveniences and handicapping environment, girl and women with disabilities have potentials to be in mainstream education. Some are in education process where their disability is not visibly\identified.

Employment:

It was discouraging to note that hardly any (3.21%) from the two groups were involved in full time income generating professions. 64.52% were sitting idle with no work. However some of them, especially the women with disability (21.88%) were still earning some through different activities.

Although the number is not mentionable, women with disabilities are involved in multi-sectoral jobs like official job, teaching, small business, day laborer, housemaid handicrafts worker, dairy & poultry worker, sewing, house-hold works etc. In most of the cases they managed to perform the job themselves.

There is still disparity in the rate of wages and salaries in comparison with the non-disabled employees working with similar capacity of output. Termination from employment without showing any reasons happens quite often. Educated women with disability even having university degree could not manage jobs. They were in many cases refused.

Some instances provide a good environment of mutual respect to the women with disabilities. The employing organizations are very much considerate about the evaluation of the employee regardless of their disability and non-disability. But such instances are very few. There are many instances that disabled people have more strong commitment and dedication to their responsibilities as they have determination to overcome their limitations.

The girls and women with disabilities are some times considered as an extra burden to their colleagues and employers. They are often teased and blamed for even very little things. Physically disabled workers are facing problems due to inaccessible physical environment. Communication problem occurred severely for the hearing impaired workers. Mobility is one of the major limitations for the visual impaired workers. This is due to absence of proper building plans and also mobility orientation.

The income of the disabled women or girls is mostly spent in meeting the family needs but their family and the society do not always encourage the professions of the disabled girls or woman.

Marriage, Conjugal Relationship and Dowry:

The establishment of romantic relationship ranks very high in life's priorities for most women. The study looked at personal factors, such as attitudes toward marriage, behavioral aspect, the effect of disability on the partner's behavior; environmental factors, social attitudes and family expectations.

Situation is reversed in case of disabled women or adolescents. Arranged marriage is still customary in the society of Bangladesh. The percentage of adolescent marriage is 48% (ref. Afrin R, 2000). This is discouraging, yet the family can find spouse. The rate of marriage of adolescent with disability is only 2%. One of the major causes of the frustration of disabled women and their families is, people are hesitant to marry a disabled girl. There are superstitions that the presence of a disabled person in family will bring misfortune to the whole family. There is a common belief that the disabled women are not contributing to the families rather a burden.

Most of the marriages of disabled women took place for providing big amount of cash, or kind, even land as dowry. There are psychological influences on women with disability in regards to marriage. Women and girls with disabilities in overprotective families are usually discouraged not to be involved in activities where they could learn social skills. This could be considered as a barrier of disabled women to expose their potentialities that in turn limit their scope of marriage.

Community and Family Attitudes:

Overall development of a disabled girl or woman depends on surrounding attitudes. Mothers are mainly blamed for giving birth to a disabled child. Disabled children, the girls or women in particular are not equally treated as other non-disabled members in the family. In many cases the girls or women with disabilities do not have access to family decision, even in the case of own children.

In cases of positive attitudes from family, and other concerned in the society, the disabled girls or women seems to be more confident and have success in life while the negative attitudes made the disabled girls or woman depressed, dependant with low self-esteem.

It was recorded that only 7.10% participated in games and sports. A larger, yet still negligible 26.13% participated in social activities. Even though figures state that actual participation is low by women and girls with disabilities, but in terms of their intention to participate, the response is satisfactorily high. 53.5% reported that they were interested to participate, while only 7.5% commented that they would never like to participate.

In the adolescence group, the families with members in between 6 to 10 numbered highest with figures of 80 (53.33%). Families followed this with members in between 1 to 5, numbering 65 (43.33%). For a larger family it is possible to share the care-time required for the disabled family member. We cannot be overprotective about our disabled family member and yet also not careless. All the family members have equal responsibility and role towards all other family members inclusive of the member with disability. It is essential that all family members understand the disability of their family member and the situations.

Abuse:

The thematic aspect of abuse has been defined in this study as i. Emotional abuse: Being threatened, terrorized, or verbally assaulted, ii. Physical abuse: In any form of violence, iii. Sexual abuse: Being forced, threatened, or deceived into sexual activities or rape.

Women with disabilities appear to be at high risk for emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. The prevalence of any abuse of girls and women with disabilities was 92% for both. About the same proportion of women with disabilities compared to girls with disabilities reported emotional abuse (78% and 75%), physical abuse (82% for both), and sexual abuse (32% and 37%). (The following figures have been derived from case studies and peer group discussions).

In many cases parents abused the girls and women with disabilities. Most of the sexual abuses turned out among the girls and women with intellectual disabilities. In the second frequency of sexual abuse towards girls and women with disabilities comes to hearing impairment. People take this advantage meaning that the hearing and speech-impaired people would not be able to communicate to others. This is surprising to note that the traditional healers sexually abused disabled girl and women in the name of therapy or treatment. The abused girls and women even their family members do not feel comfortable to express any abuse because of social threat.

Reproductive health:

Most of the girls or women are not much aware of the issues or phases of reproductive health. People identified disability particularly of the women with disability as a risk factor for reproductive health.

The society is conservative to discuss reproductive health issues. The parents do not share any sexual and reproductive health issues with their daughter. Most of the adolescent girls get idea about the phases of physical development and transition period from peers, elder sisters, sister-in-laws, grandmothers etc. Majority of the girls with disabilities had serious problem of shock, phobia, depression, and embarrassment while facing period. Especially the girls with speech and hearing impairment face difficulty to pass this period due to limited communication.

Physical growth:

Natural physical growth is a normal development process in the human body due to hormonal changes. The physical change also occurs changes in behavior and attitudes, but in case of intellectual disabled, family did not expect such physical change and became worried. The psychology of girls and women with disabilities is dependent on many emotional, environmental and social factors such as, self-assessment, personal acceptance, family and social attitude, isolation, etc.

Psychological Phenomenon

The psychology of girls and women with disabilities is dependent on many emotional, environmental and social factors such as, self-assessment, personal acceptance, family and social attitude, isolation, etc... Many girls and women even with minor disability are facing problems of acceptance in their families.

Segregation from the society and family was common feature for girls and women with disabilities in many cases. In many cases the girls and women with disabilities were segregated from their work places.

It is evident that the girls and women with disabilities are deprived of their basic human rights like food, clothes, education, treatment etc that creates negative influence to overall psychology of disabled women and girls. Sexual abuse in many cases have created tress full situation on disabled girls and women, which ultimately made them isolated and frustrated.

Human Rights issues:

The rights of security of human life has been violated in many situations related to the girls and women with disabilities. They were sexually abused, physically tortured, became disabled due to violence, verbally abused etc. They did not even get opportunity to demand justice. Moreover, they were blamed as guilty because of handicapping environment.

The girls and women with disabilities are usually deprived of getting access to treatment and health facilities. Social beliefs and superstitions in many cases caused such deprivation.

They have been deprived of the rights of basic education. The school authorities in many cases refused to enroll the disabled girls although they had potentialities, which is the violation of rights of education defined in the Declaration of Education for All and the national disability policy.

Communication is the basic human right but there is no such recognized communication mechanism for the speech and hearing impaired persons in the country.

Ability, Dignity and Self-esteem:

Majority of the girls and women with disabilities including severe level of disabilities has the confidence to be educated and engage in contributing activities. Many of them have skills in trades like sewing, cooking, painting, handicrafts, tailoring, dairy and poultry raising etc. There are evidences of extra-ordinary achievement by severely disabled women. Some of the girls and women with disabilities who had access to employment established romantic relationship and are living a happy married life. The self-esteem concerning the girls and women with disabilities is more strongly influenced by social and environmental factors.

Recommendations:

Based on the findings the study team recommends the following broad areas of actions to be taken by all concern agencies and actors:

Facilitation should be made to the development organizations working at community level to initiate counseling and awareness raising program for attitudinal change of community people on disability issue.

The development organization both government and non-government involved in job creation and skill development should consider the women with disability as priority target beneficiaries.

Organization concerned with mass education on various development issues should initiate general sensitization to create a favorable working environment for person with disabilities particularly the adolescent girls and women. The development organizations working with disability and the self-help group of disabled people should initiate systematic intervention for such persuasion.

Provision for screening and referral services should be initiated in primary health care services at community level.

This requires systematic inclusion of inclusive education concept in education curriculum. Development organizations concerning education should take initiative to motivate local education authorities for inclusion of girls and women with disabilities in regular education programs.

Community sensitization on abuse of girls and women with disabilities could be systematically integrated in general sensitization programme.

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