VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mar. 18 - The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Indonesia in collaboration with the National Commission on Violence against Women (NCVAW) and the Embassy of Canada held an online talk show entitled “Women in Leadership: Ensuring the Protection of the Rights of Women with Disabilities”, on 16 March 2021.

Bahrul Fuad, Commissioner of the National Commission on Violence against Women (NCVAW), delivered the key message at the event.

”Talking about disabilities is not talking about them but about us. Providing access for people with disabilities is not a matter of pity but a matter of humanity," he said.

Around 12 percent of the total population of Indonesia live with disabilities.

According to the 2015 Intercensal Population Survey (SUPAS), the percentage of women is higher in all eight functional challenges listed: difficulty in seeing, difficulty in hearing, difficulty in walking/walking up the stairs, difficulty in using hands/fingers, difficulty in remembering/concentrating, behavior and or emotional disorders, difficulty/disorder in speaking and or understanding/communicating with other people, and difficulty in self-care.

Women and girls who live with disabilities often face layered injustice in various sectors,
from health to economy.

The intersectionality of their identities as women and persons with disabilities also makes them more vulnerable to physical and sexual violence, as well as exploitation by family members and others.

According to Andy Yentriyani, the Chairperson of NCVAW, specific vulnerabilities that women with disabilities face are closely related to unequal relations in the society affected by not only gender and abilities but also by social class, religion, location of residency, and political affiliations.

This vulnerability is heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NCVAW recorded 87 cases of violence against women with disabilities, 67 of which are sexual violence cases, in their 2020 Annual Report (Catahu). At the same time, they are also facing a higher risk of COVID-19 infection and other health risks due to challenges in implementing health protocols and barriers in accessing health services and information.

After ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) on 30 March 2007, Indonesia has had a legal foundation for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, namely the Law No. 8 of 2016 on Persons with Disabilities.

Director for Social Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities of the Ministry of Social Affairs Dra. Eva Rahmi Kasim, MDS, says that since the ratification of the UN CRPD, Indonesia’s laws, regulations, and programs aim to create an inclusive society. Women have made contributions to the advocacy of the rights of people with disabilities in Indonesia.

With women’s leadership, disabled persons’ organizations (DPOs) have been involved in more inclusive policymaking that is more responsive to the needs of persons with disabilities both at the local and national levels. 

“People with disabilities constitute a significant stakeholder group and should always have
a place at the table,” Ambassador of Canada to Indonesia H.E. Cameron MacKay says.

This message aligns with the experience of Luluk Ariyantiny, the Chairperson of Pelopor Peduli Disabilitas Situbondo (PPDiS), a DPO that works with the government in developing Situbondo as an Inclusive District.

“The involvement of disabled colleagues, from planning to implementation and monitoring in development is highly critical… When we talk about disabilities, then it’s people with disabilities who must be engaged,” Luluk says.

For Nabila May Sweetha of the Indonesian Diffable Movement for Equality (PERDIK) South Sulawesi, as a young woman with disabilities, she feels that communities can be a platform for young persons with disabilities, especially young women, to help them to have an open mind and empower themselves in the community.

“I would like to call the government to continue to learn from both disabled persons’ organizations and local governments that have given examples of innovations in the fulfillment of the rights of people with disabilities, especially women,” says Director of Poverty Alleviation and Community Empowerment of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Maliki, ST, MSIE, PhD.

The commitment of all stakeholders, improvement of public awareness, and women’s involvement in policymaking is required to continuously ensure the wellbeing and equality of access and opportunities in all sectors for women and girls living with disabilities.

“We have to work together to make sure that the positive changes and progresses made at the policy level also take place at the community level. We must support and strengthen the leadership of women with disabilities so that they are actively engaged in decision and policymaking that takes into account their rights and their wellbeing,” UNFPA Indonesia Representative Anjali Sen affirms. (VOI)

Mar. 18 - Pakistan on Wednesday received a Chinese donation of 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine, bringing the country’s total supply to 1 million shots, Health Minister Faisal Sultan said.

The South Asian nation of 220 million people launched COVID-19 vaccinations for the public on March 10, starting with older people. Health workers started receiving shots in early February.

“These 500,000 doses will ensure smooth continuation of our vaccine drive, currently under way for senior citizens,” Sultan said in a tweet.

Sinopharm, the only vaccine currently available in the country, requires two doses.

The virus infections have sharply increased lately in the overwhelmingly Muslim nation that has had a history of refusing vaccination.

The percentage of COVID tests coming back positive across the country has touched 6.26% and crossed 11% in Punjab, the largest province.

Pakistan has recorded 612,315 coronavirus cases and 13,656 deaths, with 2,351 infections and 61 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. (Graphic: tmsnrt.rs/34pvUyi)

The country has not secured any vaccine from drug manufacturers and is depending on the GAVI/WHO COVAX initiative for poorer nations and the donations.

Pakistan is expecting to get GAVI’s first batch of 2.8 million doses of AstraZeneca sometime later this month, officials said.

Besides Sinopharm and AstraZeneca, Pakistan has approved Russia’s Sputnik and China’s CanSino Biologics Inc’s (CanSinoBIO) vaccines for emergency use.

CanSinoBIO has released interim efficacy results from a multi-country trial, which included Pakistan, showing 65.7% efficacy in preventing symptomatic coronavirus cases and a 90.98% success rate in stopping severe infections.

In the Pakistani subset, efficacy of the CanSinoBIO vaccine at preventing symptomatic cases was 74.8% and 100% at preventing severe disease.

Authorities last week reversed a decision to allow large indoor gatherings like cinemas, theatres and marriage halls in Pakistan after opening up almost all sectors of society. (Reuters)

Mar. 18 - Indonesia recorded more recoveries than new infections in the 24 hours ending Wednesday afternoon, with 6,825 people testing positive for the virus and 9,010 recovering from COVID-19, according to the COVID-19 task force.

With the addition of 6,825 new cases, the country's total COVID-19 caseload reached 1,437,283. Out of the total patients, 1,266,673 have so far made a complete recovery, task force data shows.

Meanwhile, the country recorded 162 deaths on Wednesday, which took the total death toll since the start of the pandemic in March, 2020 to 38,915.

According to data provided by the task force, the number of active cases or patients under treatment reached 131,695, a decline of 2,347 compared to the day before.

The number of suspected cases reached 59,610, based on a report from 437 laboratories and 12,676 health facilities, which examined 75,980 specimens from 58,752 people who underwent PCR swab tests or antigen tests.

The laboratory tests peg the daily positivity rate by specimens at 20.77 percent and the daily positivity rate by individuals at 11.62 percent.

All provinces in Indonesia reported fresh cases on Wednesday, with West Java recording the highest number of cases at 1,347, followed by Jakarta (1,330), Banten (861), Central Java (647), and East Java (321).

West Java also reported the highest number of recoveries at 4,150, followed by Jakarta (1,124), Banten (790), Central Java (748) and East Kalimantan (345). (Antaranews)

Mar. 18 - The Indonesian government has said it will continue to accelerate efforts to achieve herd immunity in order to bring down the rate of COVID-19 transmission in the country.

"For example, by increasing the number of locations for COVID-19 vaccination en masse," said Health Ministry's spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccination, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, during a discussion on the Alinea Forum entitled ‘Roadmap to Herd Immunity’, here on Wednesday.

To achieve herd immunity, the government has taken several steps, including cooperating with the private sector and State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) to carry out mass vaccinations, she pointed out.

The Health Ministry realizes that efforts to speed up vaccinations depend not only on the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, but also on the number of vaccinators, she said.

Therefore, the government is continuing to increase the number of vaccinators and collaborate with private clinical associations as well as health service facilities managed by ministries and agencies, she added.

Furthermore, the government is expecting to increase the number of vaccine recipients to more than 500 thousand people per day, she said.

Meanwhile, director of the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Amin Soebandrio, has said that herd immunity can be influenced by several factors, such as the number of people who have received the COVID-19 vaccine and the efficacy of the vaccine itself. (Antaranews)