Lorna Rothery interviewed Ms Pirkko Mahlmäki, Chair of the Women’s Committee at the European Disability Forum, about the intersecting inequalities, stigma, and discrimination faced by women and girls with disabilities in the EU, and the measures needed across sectors to effectively tackle this
What are some key inequalities and forms of discrimination faced by women and girls with disabilities?
Women and girls with disabilities in the EU often face multiple and intersecting inequalities that stem from both gender-based and disability-based discrimination. One of the most significant concerns is the high incidence of violence against women with disabilities. Research indicates that they are two to five times more likely to experience physical or sexual violence than women without disabilities.
Being a woman with a disability exposes individuals to specific risks, including violence in segregated settings such as residential institutions and even state-sanctioned violence, which can include forced sterilization and forced abortion. For example, in Moldova, a disturbing case emerged where three women living in an institution were repeatedly raped by the head doctor of that facility. The rapes led to pregnancies, which were subsequently covered up through forced abortions and sterilizations. This tragic incident only gained international attention after numerous similar cases came to light. The situation was further aggravated by the efforts to conceal the sexual violence through these forced procedures.
The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights has reported that research based on focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with women with disabilities from various countries, including Austria, Germany, Iceland, and the UK, reveals that many of these women, especially those with intellectual disabilities and sensory impairments, experienced bullying during their childhood in schools and residential care homes. The report also highlights that women with disabilities frequently endure psychological violence from their parents during childhood, which can increase their risk of experiencing violence later in life. Moreover, respondents in the Netherlands reported that girls with intellectual disabilities face a higher risk of becoming victims of ‘lover boy’ trafficking – a specific human trafficking method that involves seduction and grooming, ultimately leading to sexual exploitation and coercion into prostitution. (1)
In my country, Finland, the first-ever case of human trafficking brought to court involved a young woman with an intellectual disability. She was promised work as a nanny, but this was merely a cover for prostitution. Health and reproductive rights barriers constitute a form of discrimination. Twelve EU countries still permit sterilization, and the EU failed to criminalize forced sterilization, forced abortion, and forced contraception in its recent legislative reforms. We specifically want to draw attention to the issue of forced sterilization.
Furthermore, many health systems remain inaccessible, both in terms of physical access and the availability of information. Access to reproductive health information and services can be severely limited. In numerous Member States, practices such as forced sterilization, forced abortion, and institutionalization persist. Consequently, this leads to a situation where only 20% of women with disabilities report having good or very good health, compared to 22% of men with disabilities and up to 84% of women without disabilities.
Women with disabilities often face significant barriers when it comes to starting families and accessing the necessary support for reproductive health. For instance, they may find it challenging to receive assistance with conception, including treatments like IVF, and may be deemed ineligible to adopt due to their disabilities. Additionally, during parenthood, their capability to care for their children is frequently questioned.
It’s important to highlight the economic, employment, and educational inequalities that women with disabilities experience. Their employment rates are significantly lower compared to both men with disabilities and women without disabilities. According to the Gender Equality Index from the European Institute for Gender Equality, in 2024, only 21% of women with disabilities were employed full-time, whereas the figure for women without disabilities was 50%.
Moreover, the risk of poverty is higher for women with disabilities, with 22% at risk compared to 16% of women without disabilities. This disparity is compounded by the lack of access to inclusive education and vocational training, which limits their learning and career opportunities. Only 18% of women with disabilities graduate from higher education compared to 34% of women without disabilities.
These challenges often lead to the political and social underrepresentation of women with disabilities, as they are frequently absent from public decision-making roles at both the EU and national levels. Our survey revealed that less than half of the women who responded were engaged in civic or political movements. Many reported feelings of burnout, a lack of time, or insufficient capacity to volunteer, highlighting significant barriers to participation in advocacy.
If women with disabilities remain absent from the political arena, our concerns will continue to go unheard.
Furthermore, persistent negative stereotypes about women with disabilities are damaging. Common misconceptions suggest that they are unable to care for their children or relatives. However, data shows that women with disabilities are often, more frequently than men, caregivers for children and relatives. In fact, 28% of women with disabilities are responsible for the daily care and education of their children or grandchildren, in addition to supporting other relatives.
What challenges exist in preventing violence against women and girls with disabilities?
There are several systemic challenges related to the invisibility of women with disabilities in prevention measures and programs at all levels. As a result, they remain overlooked in national and local plans and strategies aimed at preventing and combating gender-based violence. The absence of considerations for disability in these frameworks contributes to difficulties in identifying instances of violence.
To effectively address prevention, it is crucial to recognize what constitutes violence and to raise awareness among women and girls with disabilities, as well as other stakeholders, particularly regarding violence that is specific to their circumstances. Additionally, there is a lack of awareness and training among professionals such as police officers, social workers, healthcare providers, and law enforcement officials. They often do not have the necessary training to recognize, prevent, or respond to violence against women with disabilities.
While institutions and other closed settings are often viewed as protective environments for people with disabilities, this perception is misleading. In reality, these places frequently deprive individuals of their right to live in the community. Moreover, institutions often put women at a higher risk of violence. They tend to lack effective measures to prevent violence or address any incidents that occur. Unfortunately, women who experience violence in these settings are often not believed, and in some cases, the issue is even normalized or institutionalized, as seen in Moldova.
Inclusion Europe has produced a report about life after violence, which highlights the complexities of the situation. What we truly need is data; specifically, we lack gender and disability-disaggregated data. This absence makes it challenging to design evidence-based prevention programs and policies.
What other factors are important in addressing the root causes of gender-based violence and discrimination affecting women and girls with disabilities?
As a lawyer, I always prioritize changing discriminatory laws because violence is deeply rooted in legislation. For instance, laws that permit the sterilization of women and those that impose lesser penalties on perpetrators who commit violence against women with disabilities in institutions need urgent reform. The underlying assumption in such laws is that the victim is less affected and therefore less deserving of protection since she may not fully understand the violence being inflicted upon her.
In my view, these legal frameworks send a message to women with disabilities that they are worthless and that violence against them is acceptable. If we want to create a transformative societal change, we must also change these laws. Additionally, we need to ensure that policymaking intersects across various areas to systematically and visibly integrate the perspectives of individuals with disabilities. This will help combat the marginalization of women and girls with disabilities and challenge ableism and patriarchal norms.
Women’s rights are disability rights, and disability rights are women’s rights.
Empowerment and inclusive education are crucial for changing policies that create economic dependency on partners. In some countries, disability allowances are tied to the income of a person’s partner, which results in financial dependence and can be a risk factor for violence. It is essential to promote awareness, autonomy, and self-advocacy in education from a young age. By fostering community engagement and raising awareness through campaigns and education, we can shift societal attitudes and work towards a more equitable future.
How crucial is it for women with disabilities to have greater involvement in EU institutions and governmental bodies, and what initiatives have been taken to support this?
Inclusive political participation is essential, as emphasized in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, both of which are ratified by all EU Member States. Despite this legal commitment, implementation often falls short. Recognizing women with disabilities as a minority in political institutions is vital, as they face unique challenges in engaging in political life. Their involvement is crucial for influencing decisions, particularly regarding gender and disability issues.
We argue that this inclusion is beneficial for society as a whole. (2) Currently, representation remains very limited, as few women with disabilities hold elected office within EU institutions or national governments. This lack of representation is closely linked to existing barriers in society, such as inadequate accessible transport and segregated education, which make it difficult for individuals to achieve representative status. In today’s world, education is increasingly necessary for participation in decision-making.
To address these issues, our approach involves focusing on leadership and mentorship programs. Our experience shows that individuals who successfully win elections often come from strong support networks, which makes a significant difference. We are actively working on a project that includes a mentorship program specifically for women with disabilities. This program is designed to facilitate mutual support, as we will also mentor activists within the women’s movement.
We have a manifesto that outlines the rights of women and girls with disabilities, with a strong emphasis on leadership. Some of our members have specific programs focused on the leadership and political participation of women with disabilities. However, it is crucial that this effort extends beyond the work of NGOs. We encourage policymakers to actively promote and support these initiatives. If women with disabilities remain absent from the political arena, our concerns will continue to go unheard. It is vital that support is available for women interested in political participation. Research shows that women with disabilities often express a greater interest in politics compared to non-disabled individuals, yet they remain underrepresented at all levels.
What policy measures need to be adopted to better protect the rights of women and girls with disabilities?
I would like to provide examples from our third manifesto, including our latest work on the EU disability and gender equality strategies. We begin with the full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the Istanbul Convention. It is essential that all policies, legislation, and national laws comply with the obligations concerning women and girls with disabilities.
Additionally, we advocate for the adoption of an EU Directive explicitly criminalizing forced sterilization as a form of gender-based violence, sexual exploitation, and torture. This Directive should align with international human rights law and include a clear prohibition on sterilization without prior free and informed consent, so we are not prohibiting sterilization as such, but it is crucial that the prerequisite is obtaining prior free and informed consent. This also entails removing legal conditions that allow medical professionals or guardians to consent on behalf of women and girls with disabilities. Furthermore, there should be dissuasive penalties for perpetrators, as well as improved access to justice, compensation, and rehabilitation for survivors.
We also advocate for the establishment of an EU observatory on disability and gender-based violence.
In addition, Member States should be required to monitor and report on gender-based violence in institutional settings (e.g., residential institutions for persons with disabilities).
Justice and support systems must also be inclusive and fully accessible, including hotlines and victim services, much of which is based on the infrastructure created by the Istanbul Convention. Legal procedures and support must also be accessible to all women and girls with disabilities, ensuring procedural and age-appropriate accommodations such as easy-to-read legal documents. Personal assistance, sign language interpreting, live captioning, and speech-to-text interpretation are becoming more feasible with new digital tools. Additionally, they call for stronger monitoring and data collection.
Aggregated data is vital in this regard, as it allows us to understand the situation by gender, type of disability, age, and other factors. This information will help us develop targeted policies and should be collected in all gender-based violence programs, national reporting, and surveys to give us the complete picture.
Consequently, there is a need to develop and enhance training and awareness programs for police, healthcare providers, educators, and law enforcement officials regarding disability and gender issues, including the illegality and harm of forced sterilization.
Furthermore, we must promote the leadership and participation of women with disabilities at the local, national, and EU levels. For instance, within the new EU electoral law, women and girls with disabilities should have the right to vote and stand for election, regardless of their legal capacity status. We must also establish an EU Framework Directive (3) to ensure the right to an adequate minimum income as a legally binding commitment for all Member States.
Moreover, EU funds should be promoting community-based services so that women with disabilities can access the open labor market and receive vocational training to support their transition from education to employment.
The transition phase is critical, as it is essential to protect women with disabilities. If they engage in unpaid work, such as caring for children or elderly relatives, this labor should also be compensated financially. This consideration extends to ensuring adequate pensions when they reach retirement age.
We have many recommendations for concrete actions to be included in the upcoming EU gender equality strategy (2026-2023). These are the key points that would initiate meaningful change and accelerate progress.
References
- https://www.edf-feph.org/content/uploads/2021/05/final-EDF-position-paper-on-Violence-against-women-and-girls-with-disabilities-in-the-European-Union.pdf
- EDF Human Rights Report on Political Participation of Persons with Disabilities, 2022
- Social Platform, An EU Framework Directive on Adequate Minimum Income, 2020
