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Women and Girls with Disabilities in the Heart of the COVID-19 Crisis: Safeguarding Sex and Reproductive Health Rights

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Handbook of Disability

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the human rights challenges that women and girls with disabilities faced (and continue to face). This chapter reviews the impact of the epidemic on this vulnerable population. It focuses on their sex and reproductive health rights, using Kenya as a case study. Although these entitlements are guaranteed by the international human rights framework and provisions of domestic law, the situation on the ground is precarious for this cohort of individuals. In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis many have continued to face several human rights violations, including discrimination and stigma, as well as the inability to access health facilities or obtain appropriate information on the pandemic from the officials. These infringements compromise their sex and reproductive health rights. In order to stem these infractions, the chapter reviews some of the interventions that duty bearers can take. To conclude, the chapter contends that these players need to take practical steps in order to deal with the challenges caused by pandemics such as the COVID-19 crisis.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See also Justice Makau of the Kenyan High Court in Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) v Attorney General and 3 Others; Article 19 East Africa and Another, Petition No. 2016 of 2019 [2020] eKLR at para 39 (affirming this rule).

  2. 2.

    Adopted by the UN General Assembly Resolution 217A (III) on December 10 1948 (UDHR) article 25.

  3. 3.

    Adopted and Opened for Signature, Ratification, and Accession by General Assembly Resolution 2200A (XXI) of 16 December 1966 (Entry Into Force 3 January 1976) (ICESCR) article 13.

  4. 4.

    GA Res. 34/180, 34 UN GAOR Supp. (No. 46) at 193, UN Doc. A/34/46 (1979) (CEDAW) article 11.

  5. 5.

    Adopted and Opened for Signature, Ratification, and Accession by General Assembly Resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989 (Entry Into Force 2 September 1990) (CRC) article 24.

  6. 6.

    Adopted by the Organization of African Unity Resolution 67/3 (Entry into Force 21 October 1986) (‘Banjul Charter’) article 16.

  7. 7.

    See article 16.

  8. 8.

    Article 1.

  9. 9.

    Ibid.

  10. 10.

    The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3447 of 13 December 2006, Opened for Signature on 30 March 2007 (Entry into Force 3 May 2008) (‘CRPD’).

  11. 11.

    Preambular paragraph (v).

  12. 12.

    World Health Organization, 2021, at 24.

  13. 13.

    Ibid.

  14. 14.

    Article 21(2) Constitution of Kenya 2010.

  15. 15.

    Ibid article 21(3).

  16. 16.

    Article 10(2).

  17. 17.

    Article 54(1)(a) of the Constitution.

  18. 18.

    Ibid article 54(1)(e).

  19. 19.

    See, for instance, the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, (Nigeria), Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Ghana), Disability Law No. 10 (Egypt), Disability Act (Sierra Leone).

  20. 20.

    Preamble to the Statute.

  21. 21.

    Article 2(6) of Kenya’s Constitution declares that any treaty ratified by Kenya is automatically part of domestic law. See also Karen Njeri Kandie vs Alssane Ba & Another Petition No, 2 of 2015 [2017] eKLR (where the Supreme Court of Kenya affirmed this basic rule).

  22. 22.

    Article 25 of the Constitution.

  23. 23.

    Section 15(1)(c).

  24. 24.

    Section 4.

  25. 25.

    Section 68(1)(e).

  26. 26.

    Available at http://www.parliament.go.ke/sites/default/files/2020-02/Reproductive%20Healthcare%20Bill%2C%202019.pdf (Accessed 6 November 2021).

  27. 27.

    Section 3 of the Kenyan Income Tax Act.

  28. 28.

    See part 3 of chapter 12 of the Constitution.

  29. 29.

    Ibid Article 201(b).

  30. 30.

    Ibid.

  31. 31.

    UN Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, ‘General Comment No. 14’ on ‘The Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health (Article 12)’ UN Doc E/C 12/2000/4 at paras 30–31.

  32. 32.

    Article 21(2) of the Constitution and section 11 of the PDA.

  33. 33.

    Article 21(3).

  34. 34.

    Paul Pkiach Anupa and Another v The Hon. Attorney General and Another, Petition No. 93 of 2011 [2012] eKLR; Anthony Kipkorir Sang v The Hon. Attorney General, Cause No. 2408 of 2012 [2014] eKLR (where the High Court (Justices Majanja and Mbaru respectively) defined the right to dignity to cover employment rights).

  35. 35.

    Articles 185–187 of the Constitution read together with part 2 of the Fourth Schedule.

  36. 36.

    Section 12 (‘A disabled child shall have the right to be treated with dignity, and to be accorded appropriate medical treatment’).

  37. 37.

    Under section 20 ‘health’ is one of the rights of children with disabilities.

  38. 38.

    [2012] eKLR at para 47.

  39. 39.

    Section 107 of the Evidence Act of Kenya.

  40. 40.

    Article 20(5)(a) of the Constitution.

  41. 41.

    Ibid, sub-section (b).

  42. 42.

    Petition No. 218 of 2013 [2015] eKLR.

  43. 43.

    Ibid at para 67.

  44. 44.

    No. 21 of 2017.

  45. 45.

    Section 86 of the Health Act.

  46. 46.

    Phillip Nyandieka (Suing on his own Behalf and on Behalf of the General Public) v Non-Governmental CDF-Bomachoge Borabu Constituency, Petition No. 237 of 2018 [2019] eKLR.

  47. 47.

    Republic of Kenya, Ministry of Health, Health Sector Working Group Report: Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for the Period 2018/19 to 2020/21 available at http://ntnt.treasury.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Health-Sector.pdf. (accessed: 8 April 2021) at 24.

  48. 48.

    National Co-ordinating Agency for Population and Development, Kenya National Survey For Persons With Disabilities: Preliminary Report (2008) part 3.9.

  49. 49.

    U.N. Committee on the Rights of Person with Disabilities, Consideration of Reports Submitted by States Parties Under Article 35 of the Convention: Kenya, (3 April, 2021) para 256.

  50. 50.

    On file with the authors.

  51. 51.

    Banjul Charter article 13; ICCPR articles 2(3) and 25; UDHR articles 8 and 21.

  52. 52.

    Article 35(1). See also Family Care Limited v Public Procurement Administrative Review Board and Kenya Medical Supplies Agency [2012] eKLR.

  53. 53.

    Section 4(1)(c) of the PDA.

  54. 54.

    See, for instance, MAO & Attorney General & 4 others, Petition No 562 of 2012 [2015] eKLR; Emmah Muthoni Njeri v Nairobi Women’s Hospital, Petition No 352 of 2018 [2021] eKLR.

  55. 55.

    This refers to a suit commenced in which a plaintiff is able to establish a special interest in the subject matter, notwithstanding that the subject matter also involves issues of public interest. See Peter Nygh and Peter Butt, Butterworths Concise Australian Legal Dictionary (Butterworths: Sydney, 1998) at 356.

  56. 56.

    Article 160(1) of the Constitution (emphasizing that the Judges are subject to the ‘Constitution and the law’).

  57. 57.

    Section 107(1) of Kenya’s Evidence Act.

  58. 58.

    Section 1A(1) of the Civil Procedure Ac (Cap 21) and article 47(1) of the Constitution.

  59. 59.

    The Kenyan Judiciary accepts this reality. See State of the Judiciary and the Administration of Justice Annual Report, 2018/2019. Available at file:///C:/Users/USER/Desktop/Financing%20Reproductive%20Health%20and%20PWDs/SOJAR%20REPORT%202,018%20_%202,019%20final.pdf (Accessed: 28 May 2021) at 24.

  60. 60.

    Article 163 of the Constitution.

  61. 61.

    Ibid. article 164.

  62. 62.

    Article 159(2)(b) of the Constitution requires courts to be guided by the principle that ‘justice shall not be delayed.’

  63. 63.

    Articles 8 and 2(3) of the UDHR and ICCPR, respectively.

  64. 64.

    See the Contempt of Court Act (2016).

  65. 65.

    See, for example, Miguna v Dr. Fred Okengo Matiang’i and Others, Constitutional Petition No. 51 of 2018 [2018] eKLR (where Judge Mrima quashed a decision by the Minister to revoke the petitioner’s citizenship and suspend his passport); Adrian Kamotho Njenga v The Attorney General and Others, Constitutional Petition No. 369 of 2019 [2020] eKLR (where the High Court found that delay by the president to appoint individuals the Judicial Service Commission had proposed for judgeship was ‘unreasonable and unconstitutional’); Okiya Okoiti and Another v The Public Service Commission and Others and Law Society of Kenya v The Office of the Attorney General and Others, Constitutional Petition No. 42 of 2018 [2021] eKLR (where the court declared unconstitutional the creation by the President of certain state offices and nomination of officials to these offices), and Law Society of Kenya v The Office of the Attorney General and Others, Constitutional Petition No. E283 of 2020 [2021] eKLR (where the court nullified an Executive Order by the President to transfer the responsibilities of a State Corporation to the Military).

  66. 66.

    Article 59(2) of Kenya’s Constitution.

  67. 67.

    Articles 7, 44 and 50(3) of the Constitution.

  68. 68.

    Available at https://vision2030.go.ke/about-vision-2030/ (Accessed: 2 April 2021).

  69. 69.

    Available at http://publications.universalhealth2030.org/uploads/kenya_health_policy_2014_to_2030.pdf (Accessed: 2 April 2021).

  70. 70.

    https://healtheducationresources.unesco.org/sites/default/files/resources/kenya_National_Reproductive_Helath_Policy_booklet_2007.pdf (Accessed: 2 April 2021).

  71. 71.

    See https://www.popcouncil.org/uploads/pdfs/2015STEPUP_KenyaNationalAdolSRHPolicy.pdf (Accessed: 2 April 2021).

  72. 72.

    274 US 200 (1927).

  73. 73.

    According to the Judge, ‘It is better for all the world, if instead of waiting to execute degenerate offspring for crime, or to let them starve for their imbecility, society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind’ (at 207).

  74. 74.

    https://www.who.int/health-topics/disability#tab=tab_1 (Accessed: 10 April 2022).

  75. 75.

    Laura Smith-Khan et al. (2014).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nairobi School of Law, Nairobi, Kenya

    Edwin O. Abuya & Naomi Njuguna

Authors
  1. Edwin O. Abuya
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  2. Naomi Njuguna
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Correspondence to Edwin O. Abuya .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Marcia H. Rioux

  2. Advocacy Director, International Disability Alliance, Toronto, ON, Canada

    José Viera

  3. School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Alexis Buettgen

  4. Department of Anthropology, University at Buffalo, State University, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Ezra Zubrow

Section Editor information

  1. Law School, The University of Sydney, The University of Sydney, Australia

    Mary Crock

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Abuya, E.O., Njuguna, N. (2022). Women and Girls with Disabilities in the Heart of the COVID-19 Crisis: Safeguarding Sex and Reproductive Health Rights. In: Rioux, M.H., Viera, J., Buettgen, A., Zubrow, E. (eds) Handbook of Disability. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-1278-7_24-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-1278-7_24-1

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