Harare (New Ziana) –Most women with disabilities who contract sexually transmitted infections (STIs) do not seek medical care due to stigma, resulting in many of them giving birth to children with visual impairment, an official has said.
Director of Disability Affairs in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Dr Christine Peta said this during an interview with New Ziana on the sidelines of a workshop on persons with disabilities access to health services held in the capital recently.
The workshop, organised by the Poverty Reduction Forum Trust, brought together legislators from both the Lower and Upper Houses of Parliament, senior government officials, civil society and people with disabilities.
Dr Peta said persons with disabilities, especially in Zimbabwe, were regarded as asexual beings who do not experience sexual feelings or desires, or who are not sexually attractive to anyone.
“So what happens is, if these women engage in sexual activities and get STIs and pregnancy, because of the stigma number one of disability, stigma that surrounds sexuality and disability, you find out they will be hesitant to go to the local clinic to access health care,” she said.
She said the women would be ashamed and embarrassed, resulting in them sitting at home with both the pregnancy and the STI.
The women end up giving birth to children with disabilities because they did not access appropriate health care, she said.
Dr Peta said her department had embarked on outreach programs mainly in hard-to-reach areas of the country where such cases were prevalent, conducting awareness campaigns in an effort to build their confidence.
She said they also teach the women about their rights to decide the number and spacing of children in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities as well as the national disability policy which President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched in 2021.
They also sensitise the women about their right to choose intimate partners and that in the event that they contract an STI, they also have the right to access health care.
New Ziana
