A Voice That Cannot Be Ignored: How Systemic Barriers Exacerbate Violence Against Women with Disabilities

The event, scheduled for late October, is held under the powerful motto "Personal Realities, Collective Demands."

The forum's main goal is to create a safe space for dialogue where women's personal, often traumatic experiences are not just heard but transformed into concrete demands for state institutions and society. The organizers intend to shift the focus from viewing vulnerability as an individual problem of the victim to a deep analysis of systems and norms that deliberately push certain groups of people to the margins of public life.

The conference agenda includes a wide range of topics contributing to multiple discrimination, with disability issues specifically highlighted. This is a crucial and timely signal, as women and girls with disabilities are statistically subjected to violence significantly more often than women without disabilities, while facing insurmountable barriers when trying to obtain protection. Lack of accessible transport, physical inaccessibility of crisis centers and shelters, and information isolation make them practically invisible to traditional support systems. When state services, legal mechanisms, and even public discourse ignore the specific needs of this group, the risk of marginalization and re-victimization increases exponentially.

Participants plan to jointly analyze how factors such as poverty, isolation, gender identity, and health status intersect, limiting access to basic services and decision-making processes. An approach based on empathy and attentive listening to stories from women with diverse life experiences aims to show that building a truly fair society is impossible without considering the needs of those whose voices are heard the least. The organizers believe that turning personal tragedies into collective demands is the only way to create a system where no woman is left alone against an aggressor and bureaucratic obstacles.