Nasima

Nasima is a prominent disability rights activist from Rangpur, Bangladesh. She is the president of the National Council of Disabled Women and the chair of Equal Bangladesh’s steering committee.

“I believe we’ve failed to raise enough awareness through campaigns and advocacy. We haven’t succeeded in changing people’s mindsets. In Dhaka, there is still not a single public transport system that accommodates women with disabilities from the district into the city. Even within Dhaka, we can’t use public transport. The government must recognise that women with disabilities are citizens and form a significant part of the population.

“The work environment is not yet friendly for women with disabilities. From my experience, when a woman with a disability is hired, she often faces salary discrimination. Facilities like accessible washrooms and assistive devices are also usually inadequate or completely missing. Public transportation is also not usable for most women with disabilities. Because of all this, women with disabilities are still far behind in terms of job access. Society mostly considers them only for roles like garment workers or receptionists – as if those are the only options available to them.

“I believe the problems faced by women with disabilities in Bangladesh start in the family itself. Families often don’t want to bring women with disabilities out into the open and consider it a matter of shame or dishonour. If families were supportive, women with disabilities would be able to participate more fully in society.

“Family counselling is crucial. The first support must come from the family – many things are possible if the family is supportive. So, it’s important to bring these women together, work in partnership with them, develop their capacities, and, if possible, help establish their own organisations.

“The National Council of Disabled Women is a network-level organisation working across 23 districts in Bangladesh, with 111 branches from various organisations of people with disabilities. Our aim is to ensure equality in society and secure equal rights for women with disabilities. We strive to make sure women with disabilities are included in the mainstream development process.

“As we work toward a more inclusive and equitable Bangladesh, we must collaborate with others. Policy advocacy is essential. We cannot limit our discussions to our own groups – we need to speak up on public platforms.

“I believe change will come when donors and the government start recognising the real needs of people with disabilities and communicate with them directly. Right now, many are not even talking to us.

“We must focus on implementing the 2013 Rights and Protection of Persons with Disabilities Act and the national action plan related to it. Awareness-building through media is also essential. The law gives us a strong advocacy tool – but it must be implemented properly. From 2013 to 2025, little has been done to effectively monitor or enforce it. The government and organisations of people with disabilities need to work together. Many people with disabilities themselves are not even aware of this law.

“I want to see a society where women and men with disabilities can participate equally and live independently. Women with disabilities must have the opportunity to give their opinions and be part of the decision-making process. But right now, many of them are unaware and afraid. We need to break this fear and empower them.

“We can contribute to society, the state and even within ourselves – building self-confidence. But to do that, we must move away from being seen as charity cases. We want a changing state and society.

“I dream of a society where women with disabilities can go anywhere with ease. I don’t know when this will become a reality, but I dream of such a society.”