Handicap International experience in Afghanistan - CBM
Handicap International experience in Afghanistan - CBM
Handicap International experience in Afghanistan - CBM
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The situation is somewhat different for women. The proportion of women above 11 who are married issimilar to the one of men for non-disabled women (54.3%), and it is double for polygamy (5.1%), whichcorresponds to an average of two wives for each polygamous man. Gett<strong>in</strong>g married and hav<strong>in</strong>g children areessential components of social acceptability for women <strong>in</strong> Afghan culture. However, women with physical,sensorial, mental and associated types of disability face difficulties <strong>in</strong> gett<strong>in</strong>g married. Only women hav<strong>in</strong>gepilepsy or some other form of seizures, are often married.An essential factor to be taken <strong>in</strong>to consideration is the age at which a person became disabled.Social acceptanceis paramount<strong>in</strong> determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>gthe quality oflife of personswith disability,even more so<strong>in</strong> traditionalsocieties wherefamily andcommunity arethe ma<strong>in</strong> supportsystemsThe results show that among women aged 11 to 25, the proportion of non-disabled already married (38.6%)is a lot higher than among young women with disability (between 4.5% for sensorial disability and 13.3%for physical disability). The only exceptions aga<strong>in</strong> are women with epilepsy or some other form of seizureswho are a very high proportion (54.8%) <strong>in</strong> terms of gett<strong>in</strong>g married at an early age. Among older disabledwomen, widows constitute a high proportion. Figure 49 furthermore shows that:• Men and women with disability are, <strong>in</strong> both cases and for all types of disability except epilepsy, less likelyto get married than non-disabled men and women when they became disabled before the average ageof marriage <strong>in</strong> <strong>Afghanistan</strong> (18 for men and 15 for women).• While 53.5% of non-disabled men and 59.4% of non-disabled women aged above 11 are married, thefigures are slightly different accord<strong>in</strong>g to gender. For men, disabled before the age of 18, the chancesof gett<strong>in</strong>g married are higher for the physically disabled (43.0% are married) than for other categories:31.9% of those with sensorial disability, 35.3% of those with mental disability and 28.0% of those withassociated disability.• For women the marriage picture is the grimmest for those who became physically disabled before theage of 15: only 20.0% are married, <strong>in</strong> comparison to 30.3% of those women with sensorial disability,30.4% of those women with associated disability and 36.8% of those report<strong>in</strong>g epilepsy/seizures.23.1% women hav<strong>in</strong>g a mental disability before the age of 15 are married.As stated earlier, physical disability for men does not directly challenge their ability to earn a liv<strong>in</strong>g. Moreover,physically disabled men, especially those disabled due to war and its consequences, are visible groups whohave a place and consideration with<strong>in</strong> society. A number of Disabled Persons’ Organisations (DPO) have beencreated and are ruled by former Mujahid<strong>in</strong> who are war survivors. Special efforts are be<strong>in</strong>g made to ensure<strong>in</strong>come-generation and economic <strong>in</strong>tegration for them. On the contrary, when women become physicallydisabled, their contribut<strong>in</strong>g role with<strong>in</strong> the family is strongly challenged: more specifically their ability tobr<strong>in</strong>g up children.Inclusion or Exclusion <strong>in</strong> Community CelebrationsSocial acceptance is paramount <strong>in</strong> determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the quality of life of persons with disability, even more so <strong>in</strong>traditional societies where family and community are the ma<strong>in</strong> support systems. The position and considerationwith<strong>in</strong> the family and the community will determ<strong>in</strong>e a series of other factors, such as self-esteem, access toeducation and receiv<strong>in</strong>g proper health care <strong>in</strong> case of need. “It is very difficult (…) to determ<strong>in</strong>e what thewords ‘social <strong>in</strong>tegration’ mean <strong>in</strong> a context where segregation occurs with<strong>in</strong> the private space of the homeand where women <strong>in</strong> many Afghan communities only <strong>in</strong>teract socially at rare events such as wedd<strong>in</strong>gs andfunerals”. 43Communities <strong>in</strong> <strong>Afghanistan</strong> are closely knit and the year is punctuated by a number of celebrations. Theparticipation of persons with disability with<strong>in</strong> these various ceremonies can be considered a sign of certa<strong>in</strong>acceptance and respect with<strong>in</strong> the society. This is probably where the perceptions of the causes of disabilitycome <strong>in</strong>: those who are perceived as hav<strong>in</strong>g made a sacrifice for the country or as victims of war <strong>in</strong>juries are43COLERIDGE P. (1998), op. cit.66 Understand<strong>in</strong>g the Challenge Ahead