Minister Chikunga to launch Disability Rights Awareness Month

Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, who holds the portfolios of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, is set to inaugurate Disability Rights Awareness Month in Tshwane. The primary objective of this month-long campaign is to shed light on the challenges that individuals with disabilities face in their quest for full participation in various spheres of life, including social, economic, political, and cultural domains.

A key component of the launch event will be a walk, commencing at Church Square in Pretoria and culminating at the Union Buildings. Chikunga has been vocal about the necessity of promoting greater inclusion and safeguarding the rights of persons with disabilities. She has emphasized that women with disabilities face a double disadvantage compared to their non-disabled counterparts.

Chikunga highlighted that the President's recent announcements outlining four measures to address these issues must be equally applicable to women with disabilities, particularly those who are unable to speak, see, or defend themselves. She underscored that the rights of these women should be given the same priority as those of all women, irrespective of their physical abilities.