[procaare] A Forgotten Tribe Remembered: Disability and HIV

["Fungai Machirori" <procaare@healthnet.org>]

A Forgotten Tribe Remembered: Disability and HIV
By Fungai Machirori, Zimbabwe
[Cross-posted from AF-AIDS]
*************

Many groups and tribes in Zimbabwe have been relegated to obscurity. Foremost among such groups are people living with disability, as a 
Progressio report entitled "The Forgotten tribe: People with disabilities in 
Zimbabwe", has revealed. The publication was launched on Tuesday by Senator 
Stanley Sakupwanya before an audience of people living with disability, 
organisations representing them and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The publication is the culmination of a survey conducted by Progressio 
Zimbabwe, between September and November 2006. The survey, which consisted 
of interviews with disability experts, leaders of active disabled people's 
organisations, individuals and groups of people with disabilities was unique 
in that it was conducted by people living with disabilities. It offers views 
on national legislation and policies dealing with disability, as well as 
issues pertaining to disability and gender, disability and HIV and AIDS, 
disability and education, and disability and employment.

"This report talks about the forgotten tribe, not the unknown tribe," 
remarked Mrs Roseweter Munatsi, the chairperson of the National Disability 
Board in her speech at the launch. "It gives me pride to know that we are 
only forgotten, and not unknown."

Other key speakers included Progressio UK's regional manager, Ms Catherine 
Scott, and Mr. Farai Mukuta of the National Association of Societies for the 
Care of the Handicapped (NASCOH).

Noting that people with disability are generally not receiving appropriate 
levels of health care in Zimbabwe, Progressio Zimbabwe country 
representative, Dr. Tsisti Choruma said many people with disabilities are 
turned away from health care facilities where they are seeking treatment for 
such common ailments as diarrhoea, because of the stigma that health workers 
have towards them. "This is because health workers deduce that disabled 
people are not supposed to be sick because they are already sick [that is, 
disabled]."

Such stigma is further highlighted by the difficulty that many of the 
disabled face in accessing information on HIV and AIDS. Dr. Choruma noted 
that people with disabilities are often turned away from voluntary 
counselling and testing centres (VCTs), because it is commonly believed that 
they are not having sex, and therefore do not need the services; and also 
because there are no sign language interpreters (for the deaf) or other 
services which may be necessary to help them communicate at these centres. 
She also mentioned the challenges faced by the visually impaired in 
following instructions on how to use condoms, as none of this information is 
widely available in Braille.

Sexuality among the disabled is not often accepted by society as being a 
normal practice. Because of this, they are widely - and wrongly - regarded 
as being less vulnerable to HIV infection. Myths even abound that sleeping 
with a disabled person can cure HIV, and this only serves to fuel the 
epidemic further and to make people with disabilities even more vulnerable.

The report notes that stigma and discrimination by both the public and 
family members, further exposes people with disabilities to higher risks of 
sexual abuse and therefore to HIV infection. The study describes the 
prevailing social sanctions against marrying people with a disability, which 
may lead them to be involved in a series of unstable and potentially 
dangerous sexual relationships.

Dr Choruma added to the argument by mentioning that this stigma and 
discrimination was also visible among people who were themselves living with 
disabilities. "Disabled men often marry able-bodied women and don't want to 
associate with women with a disability," she said. She said this was a 
decision that was often advocated by family members who feared that a 
disabled woman would not be able to adequately take care of her spouse and 
any children they might have. As such, disabled women face harsher ostracism 
than their male counterparts.

A key recommendation from the report findings was the need for the National 
Gender Policy to articulate the specific rights of people living with 
disabilities. Further to this, it was noted that the national AIDS 
co-ordinating body should ensure the development of HIV and AIDS responses 
that specifically address the needs of people with disabilities.

Currently the only legislation that deals directly with people with 
disabilities is the Disabled Persons Act of 1992, which created the National 
Disability Board. The Disability Board, which currently receives no funding, 
has been condemned for being invisible and inaccessible. "I don't know who 
it represents and what its functions are," stated Senator Sakupwanya. "It is 
being run by a very busy ministry."

The Board falls under the Ministry of Social Welfare, which the senator said 
had no capacity to run it effectively. He instead called for the board to 
fall under the President's Office in order to gain maximum attention and 
have its own budget to move activities forward.

It was realised that much work still needs to be done to raise the status of 
people living with disabilities in all sectors of society, and that this 
research only marked the beginning of the process of reforming Zimbabwe's 
structures to accommodate people living with disabilities. "We are not 
looking for a Cinderella fairy tale from rags to riches, observed Mrs 
Munatsi. "But slowly we will get there."

Fungai Machirori
Email:fungai@safaids.org.zw

Cross-posted from "AF-AIDS" <af-aids@eforums.healthdev.org>
May 02, 2007