Abstract

This study sought to discover how women with disabilities (WWDs) fared at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic with regard to access to key social services. Fieldwork was conducted in April 2022 among 104 women in three low-income areas of Caledonia, Epworth, and Hatcliffe within Harare Metropolitan Province. The key social services studied are information, water, health, education, and protection from gender-based violence (GBV). The study utilises the structural violence and social suffering theoretical lenses to analyse the institutionalised marginalisation of women with disabilities in relation to access to basic social services during the COVID-19 era. Findings reveal that the pandemic amplified the marginalisation, inequities, exclusion, and challenges confronted by persons with disabilities (PWDs) in general and, specifically, gender and social class inequalities faced by poor women in the Zimbabwean society. The intersection of vulnerabilities arising from gender, social class, disabilities, and the pandemic itself created insurmountable challenges for WWDs. Resolving these challenges is important to creating an inclusive environment for WWDs to thrive. The government, local authorities, and NGOs need to mainstream disability issues in service provision regardless of whether or not there is a pandemic.

中文翻译：

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“他们不认为我们是人”：Covid-19 大流行期间残疾妇女获得关键社会服务：津巴布韦案例研究

摘要

本研究旨在了解残疾妇女 (WWD) 在 COVID-19 大流行最严重的时期在获得关键社会服务方面的表现如何。 2022 年 4 月，我们对哈拉雷省喀里多尼亚、埃普沃斯和哈特克利夫这三个低收入地区的 104 名妇女进行了实地调查。研究的主要社会服务是信息、水、健康、教育和免受性别暴力（GBV）的保护。该研究利用结构性暴力和社会痛苦理论视角来分析在 COVID-19 时代残疾妇女在获得基本社会服务方面的制度化边缘化。调查结果显示，疫情加剧了残疾人 (PWD) 普遍面临的边缘化、不平等、排斥和挑战，特别是津巴布韦社会贫困妇女面临的性别和社会阶层不平等。性别、社会阶层、残疾和流行病本身带来的脆弱性的交叉给 WWD 带来了难以克服的挑战。解决这些挑战对于为 WWD 的蓬勃发展创造一个包容性的环境非常重要。无论是否存在大流行，政府、地方当局和非政府组织都需要将残疾问题纳入服务提供的主流。