Key issues from Public Hearing 17, Part 1 (online)

WWDA Executive Director Carolyn Frohmader gave evidence at Public Hearing 17, Part 1 (online) held on the 13th and 14th October, 2021.

As a witness on day 2 of the hearing, WWDA CEO Carolyn Frohmader gave evidence alongside Dr Linda Steele.  Carolyn spoke about the denial of women and girls with disabilities access to sexual and reproductive rights, including forced and coerced sterilisation, abortion and contraception; denial of sexual expression, poor management of pregnancy and birth and exclusion from proper sexual and reproductive health and education.   

“Two of the most critical issues in the context of the denial of sexual and reproductive rights for women and girls with disability are forced sterilisation and forced contraception.”

She also raised issues with group home settings for women with disabilities, where sexual and reproductive rights were at particular risk of interference.

A transcript of the hearing is available here:  https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/rounds/public-hearing-17-experience-women-and-girls-disability-particular-focus-family-domestic-and-sexual-violence-part-1

Part 2 of the hearing will be held 28th March until 1st April in Hobart, Tasmania and will be live streamed.

If you would like to know more about the Disability Royal Commission or how to tell your story please check out the information on our website: https://wwda.org.au/campaign/disability-royal-commission/ or get in touch with Tess at tessm@wwda.org.au

If you are experiencing sexual violence, and domestic and family violence and need support please contact:  1800Respect on 1800 737 732 or go to www.1800respect.org.au

A pink background with a rectangle heading at the top of the page that is indigo blue with the white logo of the Disability Royal Commission. A black heading in larger print underneath, reading: ‘Public Hearing 17, Part 1 (online), October 2021’. There is a photo of Carolyn Frohmader who is a woman with blue coloured hair swept to one side, has blue eyes and wearing pink lipstick. Black larger heading ‘Key Issues’. Black logo for Women with Disabilities Australia is in the bottom r right-hand corner. There are semi-circles of various colours around the edges of the square.
A pink background with a quote by Carolyn Frohmader, WWDA, from the Disability Royal Commission Public Hearing 17 which reads: “Sexual and reproductive rights are inherent to everybody. It’s an absolute fundamental human right”. In the bottom right-hand corner there is a photo of Carolyn Frohmader who is a woman with blue coloured hair swept to one side, has blue eyes and wearing pink lipstick and the black logo for Women With Disabilities Australia is next to the image. There are semi-circles of various colours around the edges of the square
A pink background with a quote by Carolyn Frohmader, WWDA, from the Disability Royal Commission Public Hearing 17 that which reads: “Women and girls with disability consistently state, and always have done, that they see their sexual and reproductive rights as one of the most urgent and unaddressed issues”. In the bottom right-hand corner there is a photo of Carolyn Frohmader who is a woman with blue coloured hair swept to one side, has blue eyes and wearing pink lipstick and the black logo for Women with Disabilities Australia is next to the image. There are semi-circles of various colours around the edges of the square
A pink background with a quote by Carolyn Frohmader, WWDA, from the Disability Royal Commission Public Hearing 17 which reads: “Women and girls with disability are often denied basic things like screening for domestic and family violence”. In the bottom right-hand corner there is a photo of Carolyn Frohmader who is a woman with blue coloured hair swept to one side, has blue eyes and wearing pink lipstick and the black logo for Women with Disabilities Australia i next to the image. There are semi-circles of various colours around the edges of the square
A pink background with a quote by Carolyn Frohmader, WWDA, from the Disability Royal Commission Public Hearing 17 which reads: “The two most critical issues in the context of the denial of sexual and reproductive rights for women and girls with disability are forced sterilisation and forced contraception”. In the bottom right-hand corner there is a photo of Carolyn Frohmader who is a woman with blue coloured hair swept to one side, has blue eyes and wearing pink lipstick and the black logo for Women with Disabilities Australia is next to the image. There are semi-circles of various colours around the edges of the square
A pink background with a quote by Carolyn Frohmader, WWDA, from the Disability Royal Commission Public Hearing 17 which says “If we are talking about human rights approach, we just want what all other women have and that is autonomy over our own bodies. The right to make our own decisions about what happens to our bodies”. In the bottom right-hand corner there is a photo of Carolyn Frohmader who is a woman with blue coloured hair swept to one side, has blue eyes and wearing pink lipstick and the black logo for Women With Disabilities Australia is next to the image. There are semi-circles of various colours around the edges of the square
A pink background with a quote by Carolyn Frohmader, WWDA, from the Disability Royal Commission Public Hearing 17 which says “Segregated settings are a dangerous place for all people with disability”. In the bottom right-hand corner there is a photo of Carolyn Frohmader who is a woman with blue coloured hair swept to one side, has blue eyes and wearing pink lipstick and the black logo for Women With Disabilities Australia is next to the image. There are semi-circles of various colours around the edges of the square
A pink background with a quote by Carolyn Frohmader, WWDA, from the Disability Royal Commission Public Hearing 17 which says “Australia has a responsibility to provide redress to those women and girls who were sterilised without our their consent”. In the bottom right-hand corner there is a photo of Carolyn Frohmader who is a woman with blue coloured hair swept to one side, has blue eyes and wearing pink lipstick and the black logo for Women with Disabilities Australia is next to the image. There are semi-circles of various colours around the edges of the square.