By Truphosah Fridah Monah

The words "reproductive health, sexuality, sex, motherhood, intimacy and disability" struggle to fit in a friendly way in most conversations.

The societal cultures, religions, politics, media, laws and economy play different roles in sexualizing WWDs, under-sexualizing them, over-sexualizing them, de-sexualizing, un-sexualizing them and covering up the lived experiences of WWDs.

For a long time, WWDs have embraced the societal judgments of their existence as far as sexuality and reproductive health are concerned.

It took WWDs effort to create a platform to educate the society, to tell their stories and to embrace their differences and reclaim their spaces in the society where they live and are members.

It has been and still it is a journey for most women with disabilities in their efforts to exercise as simple things as experiencing and expressing self-love and self-acceptance.

WWDs fight the stigma attached to their impairments in different ways, we are progressively creating spaces to have healthy, fun and educative conversations on our experiences with sexual and reproductive health.

The traditions that are believed to be standard setters leave WWDs with a false belief that they are not sexual enough, they can’t express their sexuality as women with diversity, and they need to be approved for them to feel sexual, attractive and reproductive.

As a woman with disability, I believe that as women with disabilities:

*We owe no one model figures, we embrace our diverse selves and live happily.

*No one has the power to decide what we should look like to qualify to be sexually accepted by the society, or to be mothers or to experience intimacy.

*We are the owners of these bodies and we have the un-negotiable rights to decide for ourselves in matters concerning our sexuality and reproductive health.

*We have powers to choose who to love and how to love and how to be loved and to be treated.

*Reproductive health is our human right and we are not bargaining to be allowed to practice it.

*We are always on the journey towards reclaiming our collective vagina and having as many satisfying orgasms as we possibly can.

WOMEN AND GIRLS WITH DISABILITIES AT HIGHER RISK,

he World take decisive action to combat the COVID-19 outbreak, certain populations such as those with disability may be impacted more significantly. Persons with disabilities face even greater inequalities in accessing healthcare during the pandemic including Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services, due to inaccessibility to health information as well as physical unattainability and communication barriers.

Additionally, containment measures to prevent transmission such as social distancing and self-isolation can be impossible for those who rely on the support of others to eat, dress and bath - resulting in disruptions in vital services for many persons living with disabilities.

Millions of young people around the world lack access to sexual and reproductive health, including family planning. The situation is even more challenging for women and young girls with disabilities, who are often unaware that they, too, have a right to make choices about their own health and sexuality.

“Disability-inclusive response to COVID-19 – Towards a better future for all”

As UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted during the launch of Policy

Brief on Persons with Disabilities and COVID-19 (6 May 2020), our response and

recovery should be disability-inclusive, protect the rights and needs of persons with

disabilities and place them at the center of all efforts, as envisaged in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Throughout COVID-19 crisis, persons with disabilities face more discrimination,

violence, and barriers to accessing information, education and services related to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and sexual and reproductive health. During COVID-19, GBV among women and girls with disabilities increases due to social isolation, disrupted routines and if caregivers can't reach them.