Canada-Funded WINET Project Pushes Stronger Disability Rights, Inclusion in Enugu

By Praise Chinecherem

A Canada-funded initiative aimed at breaking barriers confronting persons with disabilities (PWDs) and strengthening the implementation of disability rights laws has been launched in Enugu State, with stakeholders calling for a shift from charity-based interventions to a rights-driven approach to inclusion.

The one-year project, “Breaking Barriers to Disability Rights: A Gender Responsive Approach,” is being implemented by the Women Information Network (WINET) with support from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI).

The initiative seeks to improve implementation of the Enugu State Discrimination Against Persons with Disability (Prohibition) Law 2023, while expanding awareness of disability rights among persons with disabilities, public institutions and the wider community.

Speaking at the project launch in Enugu on Tuesday, WINET Executive Director, Mrs. Miriam Menkiti, said the initiative would place particular emphasis on empowering women and girls with disabilities to understand, exercise and defend their rights.

According to Menkiti, the project will combine advocacy, institutional capacity building, community engagement and mass media campaigns to address barriers that limit the participation of persons with disabilities in society.

She said the intervention would also strengthen collaboration between government institutions and disability rights stakeholders, while promoting the meaningful participation of PWDs in governance and democratic processes.

“We want persons with disabilities, particularly women and girls, to understand their rights, know where to seek redress and have the confidence to demand accountability,” Menkiti said.

The project will be implemented in Enugu North, Nkanu West and Udi Local Government Areas.

Key activities include a baseline assessment of public awareness of the state disability law and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), advocacy visits to government institutions, leadership training for officials of the Enugu State Disability Commission and the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), community sensitisation programmes, radio phone-in discussions and an endline assessment.

Menkiti added that WINET had produced simplified versions of the Enugu State disability law and the CRPD to make the legal instruments more accessible to persons with disabilities and the general public.

The organisation has also developed a training manual, “Inclusive Democracy in Action,” to support disability rights education and strengthen participation in democratic processes.

Representing the Enugu State Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, Director Esther Mbah described the project as a timely intervention capable of advancing dignity, inclusion and equal opportunities for persons with disabilities.

Mbah noted that PWDs continue to encounter barriers in accessing healthcare, education, employment and justice.

She particularly highlighted the challenges confronting women and girls with disabilities, who, she said, often face multiple and overlapping forms of discrimination.

She stressed the need for deliberate, gender-responsive interventions to address these inequalities.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Enugu State Disability Commission, Mr. Jude Eze, represented by Mrs. Juliet Owonta, called for a fundamental shift in how disability is addressed.

“Disability inclusion must move from charity to a rights-based approach,” he said.

Owonta disclosed that the commission was engaging relevant government agencies on the implementation of the state’s five per cent employment quota for qualified persons with disabilities.

She described the policy as an important mechanism for expanding employment opportunities and promoting the social and economic inclusion of PWDs.

Representatives of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Enugu Chapter, and JONAPWD also delivered goodwill messages at the event, commending WINET and the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives for supporting efforts to advance disability rights and inclusion in Enugu State.

The project is expected to strengthen awareness of disability legislation, improve institutional responsiveness and create greater opportunities for persons with disabilities—particularly women and girls—to participate fully in public life.

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