Barries in access to healthcare for disabled women and girls in Cambodia

Disabled women are routinely excluded from basic healthcare - from an autism diagnosis to routine healthcare appointments to smear tests to contraception. The fight for better conditions needs to become central to the feminist movement. 

There are currently 840,000 disabled girls and women in Cambodia who experience various types of impairments - including physical, psychological, intellectual and sensory conditions - that may or may not come with functional limitations. 

Disability is a human rights issue, with disabled women and girls three times more likely to experience violations of their rights, including acts of violence, abuse, prejudice and disrespect because of their disability, which intersects with other forms of discrimination based on age, religion, ethnicity and other factors. 

Women and girls in Cambodia are routinely excluded from basic healthcare. This is due to a number of reasons from health services and activities located far away from where most people live to healthcare facilities being inaccessible to disabled people. 

They also miss out on smear tests, sexual health workshops, contraception and access to sanitary pads. This is partly because cultural and attitudinal prejudice means that medical staff still assume disabled women do not have sex or relationships. For example, Water Aid in a recent study highlighted how girls with disabilities often lack access to accurate information and affordable healthcare. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected disabled girls and women. Disability inclusion is critical to achieving equal access to coverage without financial hardship because disabled girls are: 

• three times more likely to be denied health care 

• four times more likely to be treated in the health care system 

• 4-10 times more likely to experience violence 

• over half of all disabled people with disability in low-income countries cannot afford proper health care. 

The severe mistreatment of disabled girls and women is rarely talked about. Many of us are typically uncomfortable discussing personal healthcare - something that is only increased by sexism that wants to hush away period blood and ableism that too often ignores disabled lives. 

EmbraceAbility aims to break down barriers to healthcare by providing inclusive disability care, sanitary pads, sexual and reproductive workshops, healthcare training and caregivers skills training in Cambodia. 

Today you can support disabled girls and women in Cambodia by donating £5 which will provide disabled girls access to healthcare and sanitary pads for one day.