Case studies: Bangladesh women's groups

In Bangladesh women do not have the same level of protection from human rights violations as men, for disabled women the situation is even worse and they continue to experience severe deprivation and sexual abuse. Although women are being included more in international development work – disabled women are still largely ignored. There is still a belief in society that disabled people are “cursed by birth”, that disability is the result of a sin and that disabled people are burden, of no use to society and are incapable of doing anything for themselves. Disabled women have decided that it is time to change this.