Promoting the rights of Children with disabilities innocenti digest no

5 human rights of
Children with 
disabilities today

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15
Promoting the Rights of Children with Disabilities
Innocenti Digest No. 13
Box 5.1 Disability and gender
Countries often report higher rates of disability for 
males than females. The reasons for such disparities 
may include higher rates of work-related injuries 
and greater risk-taking behaviour among boys and 
men.
i
On the other hand, girls and women are often 
more exposed to the risk of becoming disabled than 
males because of neglect and certain forms of abuse 
and harmful practices, including early marriage
ii
and 
female genital mutilation/cutting.
iii 
This being the case, 
the higher rates of disability for boys and men may 
also reflect the lower visibility given to girls, and to 
girls with disabilities, in many countries. In the context 
of such double discrimination, girls and women may 
have limited access to essential services such as 
health care, education and vocational rehabilitation.
In Nepal, for example, it was reported in 1995 
that the long-term survival rate for boys who had 
polio was twice that for girls, despite the fact that 
males and females have an equal chance of being 
affected by the disease.
iv
In Kathmandu, a serious 
underrepresentation of girls receiving treatment at 
the Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre for Disabled 
Children was identified as a cause for concern.
v
But gender implications go further than this. Girls and 
women who do not have disabilities themselves are 
also disproportionately affected by disability because 
The effect of multiple discriminations is typically 
more than merely additive. For example, a family 
belonging to a minority group that experiences 
discrimination is more likely to live in poverty and 
consequently have limited access to proper medical 
care. The combination of these factors increases the 
likelihood that a child will both be born with some 
form of impairment and have lower priority in access 
to already limited support and services. 
The consequences of disability can be particularly 
serious for women and girls because they risk being 
discriminated against on grounds of their gender 
as well as of their particular impairment. As a result 
they may have even more limited access to essential 
services, including health care, education and 
vocational rehabilitation.