Advocates urge stronger protection and digital security for PWDs amid the 16 Days of Activism Campaign

Image Source: Freepik

By Nobukhosi Ndlovu

Disability advocates are calling for strengthened protection measures for women and girls with disabilities, who continue to face a double burden of vulnerability in both digital and physical spaces.

Their concerns come as discussions on digital safety and gender-based violence intensify amid the 16 Days of Activism campaign, highlighting the urgent need for inclusive and accessible safeguards.

One of the strongest voices in this advocacy is Joyce Togarepi, a representative of the National Council of Disabled Persons of Zimbabwe and a board member at St. Daniels. As the Executive Chairperson of the organisation’s women’s wing, she spoke on the realities faced by disabled women and girls across the country.

Togarepi explained that psychological, emotional, and physical abuse has remained widespread, especially within families. She noted that many women and girls with disabilities had been subjected to derogatory language that strips away their dignity. Terms such as chirema, bofu, musope, mupengo and benzi are still commonly used, reducing them to labels rather than acknowledging their humanity.

“Most of them struggle to get birth certificates and never got the opportunity to get educated due to the patriarchal system that favored educating boy children,” she said.

Her concerns extended into the digital space, where online violence has become increasingly normalised. She referred to a recent viral video in which a girl is called a musope, mocked for struggling to read. The clip had been widely shared, treated as humour by many viewers.

“Any negative thing or article sent online against women and girls with disabilities has far reaching consequences damaging their self esteem and corroding their self confidence,” Togarepi warned, stressing that such content, though trivialised by the public, carries damaging psychological effects for women and girls with disabilities, particularly those with albinism.

Lizzie Longshaw, Executive Director of National Council of Disabled Persons of Zimbabwe and an advocate for accessibility and support initiatives that promote the rights and safety of persons with disabilities also shared on the vulnerability that women and girls face in physical, emotional, financial and sexual abuse.

“In many cases, abusers take advantage of a survivor’s limited mobility, communication barrier and dependence for daily care,” Longshaw said.

“Digital violence includes online harassment, mockery, cyberbullying, unsolicited sexual messages, impersonation, scamming and image-based abuse,” Longshaw explained, highlighting that persons with disabilities are targeted because abusers perceive them as less likely to report.

“Some individuals have had their images shared without consent, especially those with visual disabilities, leading to discrimination, shaming and psychological stress,” she added.

According to Longshaw, gender and disability intersect to create double discrimination as women and girls with disabilities often have less control over digital devices making them easier target for online manipulation. She further explained that even the higher dependence on caregivers or partners increases vulnerability to domestic abuse. “Reduced access to information limits their digital safety skills and social stigma makes them less believed when they disclose abuse.”

Despite all these challenges, Joyce Togarepi believes communities hold power to create safer environments. She encouraged whistleblowing within families and neighbourhoods to protect women and girls who cannot speak for themselves. She urges communities to challenge harmful myths, such as the belief that sleeping with a woman with a disability reduced the risk of STIs. She further calls on service providers to ensure inclusive systems, such as ensuring access to sign language interpreters for women with hearing impairments.

Togarepi also noted that the digital space, although harmful at times, has created opportunities to showcase positive stories of people with disabilities, from successful marriages to remarkable artistic and musical talents. She said these narratives helps balance the representation of persons with disabilities and demonstrates their potential beyond stereotypes.

In closing, Lizzie Longshaw shared the concern that during the 16Days Activism Against GBV, there should be no one left behind, that disability inclusion must be at the center of all efforts to end gender based violence. “We must recognize that people with disabilities, especially women and girls face unique risks. Their voices, safety and dignity deserve full protection both online and offline.”

The growing conversation on digital violence and SGBV revealed the need for stronger awareness, accessible reporting pathways, and inclusive support systems. For people like Joyce Togarepi and Lizzie Longshaw, protecting women and girls with disabilities requires more than policies, it requires mindset shifts at home, in communities, and across digital spaces.