An impairment is the absence of a person’s body structure or function; it might be natural, due to birth, or accidental. When a person with an impairment interacts with the environment and finds it difficult to perform a task, this is referred to as disability. For example, if a woman who cannot walk due to a health condition uses a wheelchair and arrives at a building where she wishes to go to the second floor and discovers stairs, she will be unable to do so, resulting in disability, indicating that the environment is not suitable for her impairment. If, however, an elevator is available in the building, and the person uses it to reach her destination without requiring assistance, this indicates that the environment is well suited to the needs of the person with impairment, and nothing has prevented her from performing that function.

Over one billion people live with some sort of disability around the world, accounting for roughly 15 percent of the global population. The number of persons with disabilities is rising, as it is directly proportionate to the number of people getting old. According to estimates, globally, 46 percent of old people have a disability. Because of reduced birth rates, infant mortality rates and increase in life expectancy, the population of elderly people is growing. By 2050, for the first time in human history, there will be more old people than children under the age of 15, with one out of every five people aged 60 or older. This means that in coming years there will be more people with disabilities. Most of them will be old people.

Persons with disabilities are unfortunately not counted in Pakistan. There are no precise statistics on them. According to international polls, 10 to 15 percent of the population has a disability; nevertheless, the 2017 census revealed that just 0.48 percent of Pakistan’s population had a disability. It’s interesting that, according to the 1998 census, 2.49 percent of Pakistan’s population had a disability; however, 19 years later, in the 2017 census, that percentage had dropped to 0.48 percent. This reveals a significant problem and calls into question the reliability of the census.

According to international surveys and the World Health Organisation (WHO), 15 percent of a country’s population has a disability. Since Pakistan’s population is roughly 220 million, 15 percent equals 33 million people. However, 0.48 percent equals one million; there is a big oversight because how can policies and programmes be developed if the population isn’t counted? If we look at the statistics for old people in Pakistan, we can see that there are 16 million people aged 60 or above in the country. According to global estimates, 46 percent of the population of old people lives with some form of disability, which means that 7.37 million old people in Pakistan live with some form of disability.

There is a lack of data to identify deprivation based on age, gender and disability. The most pressing need at this moment is to collect and consolidate disaggregated data. The absence of data and information is the most significant impediment to the design of policies for women with disabilities.

Persons with disabilities encounter a lot of challenges and discrimination. Due to a variety of factors such as gender, ethnicity and culture, women and girls with disabilities endure double and triple discrimination. Women with disabilities frequently face abuse and violence, as well as a lack of access to education, appropriate health care and community and political participation. Because of the discrimination they encounter in accessing education and economic possibilities, women with disabilities are at a higher risk of poverty. They always face barriers to employment, as there are stereotypes that women with disabilities are less capable, and most workplaces are not physically accessible. Without work, women with disabilities are forced to rely on family, charity or government assistance, if any is available.

These women are frequently denied access to adequate health care because they require a caregiver to accompany them to the hospital or to a doctor’s appointment, which is frequently delayed and occasionally postponed, resulting in them not receiving the necessary treatment on time. Health-care services are often inaccessible and most healthcare providers lack the capacity to accommodate women with disabilities.

Everyone has the right to participate in decision making at the community and political level, yet women with disabilities have almost no representation and engagement at these levels. Their representation is critical since they are the ones who are most familiar with the concerns and challenges faced by them and are in a better position to make recommendations for improvement.

Assistive devices can play a big role in achieving independence, as many women with disabilities are isolated in their homes and unable to mobilise due to a lack of appropriate assistive devices. This deprivation stems from various reasons, including a lack of understanding, poverty and discriminatory attitudes. These women have potential and can contribute to society’s development; they can support themselves and their families, but they are confined to their homes due to a lack of respective assistive devices.

Although EHSAS, the government of Pakistan’s social protection programme, has previously announced that wheelchairs will be provided to persons with disabilities, it is important to note that there are many other assistive devices that should be included in the EHSAS programme and provided to women.

There is a lack of data to identify deprivation based on age, gender and disability. The most pressing need at this moment is to collect and consolidate disaggregated data. The absence of data and information is the most significant impediment to the design of policies for women with disabilities. Without information and data, policymakers cannot comprehend the severity of the situation and the problems they confront.

It’s worth noting that Pakistan ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2011, which aims to promote, protect, and ensure that all persons with disabilities have full access to all human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as promote respect for their inherent dignity.

Pakistan has made several key international commitments to gender equality and women’s human rights, and there is a need to devise an appropriate national policy for women with disabilities and to make the existing gender policies inclusive.

The author is a communications specialist and a freelance writer. He is based in Rawalpindi and can be reached at: qureshiwaqas@gmail.com. He tweets @qureshiwaqasA