On 9–20 March 2026, the African Disability Forum (ADF) participated in the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, held at the United Nations Headquarters. The session convened representatives of Member States, UN entities, and civil society organizations from across the globe to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

This year’s session focused on strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including through promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws and practices, and addressing structural barriers that hinder equal access.

During the session, ADF amplified the voices and lived experiences of women and girls with disabilities, emphasizing the urgent need for justice systems that are inclusive, accessible, and responsive to their realities.

In her keynote address, Shitaye Astawes, ADF’s Head of Advocacy and Communications, underscored the importance of ensuring that justice systems are designed to serve everyone. She highlighted the persistent structural barriers that prevent women with disabilities from accessing justice and called for transformative action to uphold their rights.

The full speech is presented below:

Women with Disabilities and Access to Justice

Thank you for the warm introduction. I am honored to speak on this panel.

Justice should be one of the most basic guarantees of equality. Yet for many women with disabilities, justice remains out of reach, not because laws do not exist, but because systems were never designed with them in mind.

Across the world, while contexts may differ, one reality remains consistent: being a woman, and more so a woman with a disability, means facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination within justice systems.

Consider these realities:

1. A woman with an intellectual disability is denied justice in a rape case because she is deemed unable to testify.
2. A deaf woman experiencing domestic violence cannot report abuse because there is no sign language interpreter at the police station.
3. A blind woman receives court documents she cannot read.
4. A woman with a psychosocial disability, a survivor of sexual violence, is barred from testifying due to laws that label her as of “unsound mind.”
5. A wheelchair user arrives at court only to find there is no accessible entrance.

These are not isolated incidents. They are everyday occurrences. They reflect deep structural barriers that prevent women with disabilities from accessing justice. When their voices are dismissed or ignored, perpetrators act with impunity.

Justice cannot depend on whether a woman can hear a police officer, read court documents, climb courthouse stairs, or communicate in ways the system expects. For justice to be meaningful, the system itself must adapt. It must be inclusive by design.

Women with disabilities must be able to report violence, be heard in court, and seek protection under the law. When justice systems become accessible to women with disabilities, they become stronger and more equitable for everyone.

Under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, States are obligated to ensure equal access to justice for persons with disabilities through procedural accommodations and accessible legal systems. However, this right remains far from being realized.

Across many countries, common barriers persist:

• Lack of procedural accommodations in legal proceedings
• Limited access to accessible information and communication
• Inaccessible court buildings and police facilities
• Prejudice and harmful stereotypes among judges and law enforcement
• Laws that deny legal standing or testimony to persons with disabilities
• Limited access to legal aid and support services

These barriers disproportionately affect women and girls with disabilities, particularly those experiencing gender-based violence.

Let us consider this:

A teenage girl with an intellectual disability is forcibly sterilized; her bodily autonomy and legal capacity violated, with the decision made on her behalf.

What must be done to ensure she can access justice?

If we cannot answer that question, and act on it, then we have truly failed in achieving justice for all.

Thank you.