Abia

Abia Akram is a disability advocate from Pakistan and campaign ambassador for Equal World. Her work focuses on fighting for the rights of women, girls and young people with disabilities.

“I have been engaged in the disability sector for the last 25 years. I started my career as a representative of organisations of persons with disabilities. Over time, I became more focused on gender and disability, working specifically with women, girls and young people with disabilities.

“Growing up in Pakistan as a woman with a disability was extremely difficult. Society had a charity-based approach to disability. People either saw us as ‘blessed’ with extra abilities, like angels or as facing divine punishment. No one wanted to talk about disability as a human rights issue. Especially during disasters, our needs were ignored.

“Through advocacy, we slowly started to change this. As a woman with a disability, it was incredibly difficult to talk about diversity and inclusion. But after almost two decades of work, we reached a major milestone – Pakistan’s first human rights-based disability legislation. With Sightsavers, I travelled to the US to learn about disability laws. When I returned, I worked with parliamentarians to develop legislation that recognised the rights of all people with disabilities, including diverse and marginalised groups.

“But a law alone is not enough. It needs ‘teeth’ to be effective. Now, we are working on implementing the law – developing rules, protocols and policies to ensure that inclusion is a reality and not just on paper.

“When I started working with Sightsavers, we realised there was a huge gap in the implementation of policies, especially regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 2030 Agenda was missing opportunities for young people with disabilities and awareness was lacking. The Equal World campaign works to address these gaps and has had a huge impact globally.

“I am excited about the growing representation of young people with disabilities. They must have a seat at the table and be part of the decision-making. We still have a long way to go, but with continued advocacy, we can create a truly inclusive world where no one is left behind.”

Abia also featured in the “Equal World?” film and has worked closely with Sightsavers for a number of years, including attending the UN Civil Society Conference consultations and representing the Promise in Peril petition at the UN summit on the Sustainable Development Goals.