Government of Rwanda has established legal frameworks to protect the rights of persons with disabilities, and several initiatives are working to improve their economic empowerment through training and support programs. However,
women with disabilities still face significant barriers to employment, with lower labor force participation and higher unemployment rates than both men with disabilities and the general population. Key challenges include discrimination, lack of educational and vocational opportunities, stigma, and inaccessible environments.
The perception survey conducted in Bugesera district , confirmed that the intersection of gender and disability in the current cultural background contribute to worsening the barriers to access decent work for girls and women with disabilities. While they fear to compete for employment, fearing persisting discriminatory practices and negative attitude at work place, access to self employment opportunities including start up capital, required skills and limit girls and women with disabilities to start up own businesses.
“We don’t plan for any strategy promoting girls and women with disabilities accessing the job at our institution. We are not ready to employ any girl/woman with disability unless we change the vision of our industry. Our employees use physical energy…if by additional she is a lady, this makes them more unwelcome” (interviewee X, Bugesera district, 25th April 2022)
This answer above provided by an entrepreneur respondent to the Perception survey on employability of G/WWDs in summarizes the views of the employers on employability of G/WWDs. The community through awareness meeting support this view. Once asked if they know some G/WWDs running businesses or being employed, they responded:
“…they have no confidence in themselves,…If you don’t have confidence in yourself, who can employ you?…they are unable to do anything…At least the men can try but girls and women are too far…maybe one per cell can be found running a small business…” (citizens in community awareness visited 27 April 2022).
Tackling the negative image on employability of G/WWDs owned by G/WWDs themselves, by the employers and by the community is the rationale of the “EmployAble project” connecting girls and women with disabilities to social and economic opportunities.
Findings from this perception survey urge different stakeholders to invest in vocational , business and soft skills to create self employment opportunities through owned businesses.
Full report on these challenges reported by both women with disabilities and interviewed stakeholders can be read through the link https://drive.google.com/file/d/117biyKOg91b5tPenJ5wIfNsxdI4eHCas/view?usp=sharing