Compared to their peers who have no disabilities, children and adolescents (0-17 age group) with disabilities are 27% more likely to be out of upper-secondary school, 41% more likely to feel discriminated against and 51% more likely to feel unhappy. Adolescent girls with disabilities fare particularly poorly, facing additional inequities in accessing education, affordable health and other key services, and risking greater violations to their personal safety and security, as their disabilities are compounded by gender and age.
Delegates attending a special side-event being held on Tuesday, 22 March, 2022, during the 66th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66) will call for greater focus on reducing the structural discrimination caused by gender, age and disability through provision of more resources and technical support. They will urge governments and civil society to adopt an intersectional approach which empowers women and girls with disabilities by consulting and involving them in developing the programmes that affect them.