3.12 Gender

During 2012-16, disability advocates reported assisting one person with gender issues in an average three month period.

Disability advocacy Issue Gender
Number 1 person on average per quarter
Trend ≈ no trend
Rights under the CRPD Governments will:

  • take all appropriate measures to ensure the full development, advancement and empowerment of women, for the purpose of guaranteeing them the exercise and enjoyment of the human rights and fundamental freedoms
  • ensure the right of all persons with disabilities who are of marriageable age to marry and to found a family on the basis of free and full consent of the intending spouses is recognized
  • endure the rights of persons with disabilities to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and to have access to age-appropriate information, reproductive and family planning education are recognized, and the means necessary to enable them to exercise these rights are provided
  • ensure persons with disabilities, including children, retain their fertility on an equal basis with others (Article 6)
Commitments in the State Disability Plan The Victorian government will:

  • support specialist disability providers to become more LGBTI inclusive by developing training and resources for staff (Action 5)
  • improve reproductive and sexual health knowledge, understanding, skills and outcomes for Victorians with and intellectual disability (Action 9)
  • funding a range of initiatives to meet commitments to Victorians with a disability who are experiencing family violence (Key Priority 7)

 

Analysis

DARU has omitted presenting this information as a graph as the numbers are too small to meaningfully interpret.

The Victorian government’s family violence package will implement initiatives to help tackle family violence. This includes funding to extend the Women with Disabilities Victoria Workforce Development Program on Gender and Disability. The government recently released Victoria’s first gender equality strategy, which will measure the rate of women with disability participating in the workforce.

The Office for Disability funds Women with Disabilities Victoria to undertake systemic advocacy on a range of issues relating to gender.

 

Case study: Gender issues at school

Claire* is as transgender young person who was experiencing conflict at school. Claire wished to attend school but on their own terms- and only certain classes. They contacted their advocate for support. The advocate met with Claire and their father, discussed the issues with the school and liaised between both Claire, their father and the school. After much discussion, it was agreed that this was an adolescent issue, not discrimination, as the school had done all they could to support Claire for many years. The advocate discussed this with Claire’s father and he was in agreement with this.

* names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals

 

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