Innovation through empowerment:The Voices of the Marginalised project

Dr. Marion Steff

4th February 2016

The consortium

Why the Voices of the Marginalised project? (1/2)

• Started in 2012 at the time of the MDGs

• 8 goals set up in 2000 to reduce poverty in the world by 2015

• Major progress were made to reduce poverty

• Yet, persons with disabilities & older people were not included

Why the Voices of the Marginalised project? (2/2)

• Beginning of the Post-2015 discussions

• UN wanted to be more opened and transparent with the process and include all stakeholders

• More talks about inequalities, reaching the poorest of the poor

Purpose

To gather the voices of persons with disabilities and older people, and provide qualitative input to inform Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The originality of the project (1/2)

• Older people and persons with disabilities trained to become researchers and collect stories themselves.

• Stories collected also from local organisations working on ageing or disability.

The originality of the project (2/2)

Methodology used: Community-based participatory research (CBPR). It involves:

– Committing to sharing power and resources– Working towards beneficial outcomes for all participants – Equitably involving community members, organisational representatives and researchers– Sharing expertise, decision-making and ownership– Bringing unique strengths from all

Ethical principles of CBPR

• Mutual respect• Personal integrity• Equality and inclusion• Democratic participation• Active learning• Making a difference• Collective action

Location

1st Phase: Bangladesh (pilot/ 2012-2015)

2nd Phase: Tanzania (2015-2016)

Commonalities in both findings

Peer researchers identified emerging issues that particularly affect people with disabilities and older people.

Commonalities:• Access to health and education• Employment• Family difficulties & marriage breakup

Quotes from participants

• “When I was in primary school, I would tell the teacher that I could not see. I would ask him to read for me. But the teacher would tell me that if I don’t see, why do you come to school then?” Person with visual impairment, 25, Kibaha district (Tanzania)

• “My problem is that since I was about 60, I’ve at times found it impossible to eat, and at other times I don’t eat. Sometimes my sons give me a lot, sometimes they don’t.” Older person, 78, Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh)

Contextual differences

• According to natural hazards: disasters in Bangladesh

• According to taboos: Sexual violence in Bangladesh

• According to local beliefs: witchcraft and the mistreatment of persons with albinism in Tanzania

Quotes from participants (1/2)

Talking about rape: “We say we don’t know who’s doing this. But it’s not true. We know. It’s a kind of social stigma. If you know that one of your children is being raped, there’s a natural tendency to hide that. It’s shameful in this society so we tend to hide it.” Participant from a NGO (Bangladesh)

Quotes from participants (2/2)

Talking about witchcraft and albinism: “The way I see it, politic is the source of killing of people with albinism. The reason for my argument is that whenever there is an election, the killing of people with albinism increases. This year, the community raised its voice and it stopped for a while.” Participant from a NGO, Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)

In all stories

• All participants experience stigma and discrimination as well as experiences of empowerment. Examples: Pride of being married, to send children to school, to have a livelihood,…

• Further analysis in the Tanzania project with the following research question: How did participants experience old age and/or disability?

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How did participants experience old age and/or disability?

Ex. of recommendations at the national level (1/2)

In Tanzania: • Engaging with the government to implement

the National Disability Policy of 2004;

• Legislating the national policy on ageing so that there is a binding legal framework under the new Ministry of Health, Social Development, Gender, Older People and Children.

Ex. of recommendations at the national level (2/2)

In Bangladesh: • Promote awareness about disability and ageing

being led by the District Social Welfare while being monitored by the District Disability Federation.

• Facilitate loans and increase stipends while increasing jobs quota.

Global key recommendations (1/2)

• Ratify, implement & monitor the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD);

• Support the elaboration of a UN Convention on the Rights of Older People (UNCROP).

• Improve disability and older-person data gathering and analysis mechanisms (SDGs)

• Disaggregate data by age, gender, location, ethnicity and disability (SDGs targets & indicators)

Global key recommendations (2/2)

• Promote the full and equal participation of older people and persons with disabilities in policy making at all levels.

• Raise awareness about the experiences of people with disabilities and older people to reduce stigma and discrimination.

• Ensure SDGs-compliant development to provide public services that are inclusive to people with disabilities and older people

Thank you! Questions?

Web page: www.sightsavers.org/voices

Contact details: msteff@sightsavers.org

Twitter: @mllemarionamtl @Sightsavers_Pol @adduk @HelpAge