Resource description:
The Indian legislative framework related to disability has been
significantly transformed after the enactment of the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities Act, 2017 (RPD Act) and the Mental
Healthcare Act, 2017 (MH Act). The RPD Act adopt a “twin
track” approach by incorporating specific provisions for women
with disability while also addressing their vulnerabilities in the
context of discrimination, social security, healthcare, and sexual offences. This article unpacks the rights of women with
disabilities (WWD) to equality and non-discrimination and all
its dimensions. It examines the extent to which the legislations
recognize multiple and intersecting discrimination that WWD
experience, as well as horizontal discrimination, and identifies
legal provisions that can potentially facilitate de facto equality
for WWD. It analyzes the extent of compliance with the guarantees relevant to WWD under the UN Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities, 2008 (‘UNCPRD’)
By Swagata Raha & Shampa Sengupta