a vaccine while sleeping—she claims she was uninformed of the procedure and was not
consulted in the process. In Malaybalay, a woman with mobility impairment complained
of being forced to breastfeed her newborn, despite her inability to produce breast milk.
The nurses forcibly pumped her breasts, verbally accosted her, and confiscated her
feeding bottle. She lamented that ‘Nag sige na ug hilak akong anak kai gutom na kaayo.
Kung ako lang pabut-on ipa-breastfeed gyud nako akong anak kay mahal kaayo ang gatas
karon. Unsaun ta man wala jud gagawas. Nag-ingon dayon akong ate, “Nganong pugson
man ninyo paggawawas nga wala jud gatas akong manghod, kay tungod tingali na sa
sige ug inom ug tambal [as person with disability]?’ (My newborn kept on crying because
of hunger. If it were up to me, I’d also want to breastfeed my child since baby milk is very
expensive. But I couldn’t do anything; there was no milk. My sister told them, “Why do
you need to force it? My sister can’t produce milk—maybe it is because of the many
medicines she takes as a person with disability.)
3.2. Intersecting vulnerabilities as women and as persons with disabilities manifesting in limited
awareness on RPRH; control over sexuality and reproductive health, and constrained access to
justice in cases of Gender Based Violence against women;
The inquiry also surfaced how women with disabilities suffer overlapping barriers, brought about
by their intersecting vulnerabilities as persons with disabilities and as Filipino women in
marginalized sectors. These manifest in their lack of, or limited, awareness of RPRH and RH rights,
and the legal remedies available in cases of gender-based violence against women. This is also
manifested in how men and family members exercise control over women with disabilities’
sexuality and reproductive health, and in the many challenges they experience in accessing
justice in cases of GBV.
Several barriers previously identified in the 2016 “National Inquiry on Reproductive Health and
Rights” were also documented in the “National Inquiry on the Reproductive Health and Rights of
women with disabilities”. This time, however, issues specific to women with disabilities were
captured.
3.2.1. Lack of, or limited, awareness on RPRH, RH rights, and remedies in cases of GBV
Across target locales, women with disabilities showed limited awareness of the RPRH
Law and existing relevant policies and programs, as well as legal remedies in cases of
gender-based violence.
Among the 12 elements of RH identified in the RPRH Law, a high level of familiarity was
recorded in only two areas: (1) family planning and (2) maternal, infant, and child health
and nutrition. While little awareness was noted in the areas of human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), reproductive tract
infections (RTI) and sexually transmitted infections (STI), abortion prevention, and RH
education and counseling. These indicate the limited availability and limited reach of RH
information among women with disabilities. It also indicates the gap in terms of available
15
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents