PEOPLE with Disability Solomon Islands (PWDSI) together with Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) had facilitated a three days training on Gender equality and Human rights focused on (Convention on the Rights of People with Disability) CRPD and women leadership training for women and girls with disability.
The training which kicked off on the Wednesday 15th ended yesterday, at the B17 Dive and Beach Bungalows conference room, Northwest Guadalcanal.
The aims and objectives of the workshop was to empower young girls and women to understand their roles making decisions for themselves at home, community and place of work, and to understand the key responsibilities for PWD’s participation.
About 29 women and girls living with disability have attended the training.
Speaking to Solomon Star yesterday, Assistant Coordinator for Women and Girls with Disability, affiliate under PWDSI project, Ms Ellen Kelly said the training is very important because most girls and women living with disability lacked the understanding of gender equality and human rights on CRPD.
“The training will enable them to understand their equal rights to able persons. Example; a lot of them have faced discrimination back at their homes and communities, thus, this training will help them understand that they have all the rights to a able person, when it comes to roles shared in family homes and work places,” Ms Kelly said.
She added a person living with disability can do anything, therefore give them the equal rights and they will do anything themselves in their own unique way.
Meanwhile, Special Development Center, Red cross Teacher, Emma Hambalu who is a participant and a person living with the special needs said she learned that women and men had the equal rights to do the same work.
However, Ms Hambalu said a lot of people with disability have no job or lacked proper education.
She encouraged the leaders to look into possible ways to include people with disability to be able to have equal rights in schools and work places.
“For example, create a policy that will include us people with disability on job opportunities or in the education system, because nothing can stop us from doing things able persons do,” Ms Hambalu said.
By ESTHER NURIA
Newsroom, Honiara
