Safety and Well Being Assessment of Women Human Rights Defenders with Disabilities in Nepal

With the support of the Urgent Action Fund (UAF), Access Planet Organization conducted a Holistic Safety and Security Assessment for Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) with Disabilities. This comprehensive assessment was carried out in four phases at different times and was led by Pranika Koyu, an expert assigned for the task, with support from Laxmi Nepal, Executive Director of Access Planet Organization.

The consultation workshop was held on 3 March 2025, followed by a validation workshop on 5 April 2025. Additional phases, including desk reviews and key informant interviews, were conducted through a combination of virtual and in-person meetings. This multi-phase process identified key risks and practical solutions across four thematic areas: health, rights activism, social support, and economic empowerment.

Objectives of the Assessment:

• Identify risks and threats faced by WHRDs with disabilities
• Understand how these challenges affect their well-being, safety, and activism
• Assess existing support systems and identify gaps
• Provide evidence to support advocacy and policy change
• Raise awareness of intersectional challenges affecting WHRDs with disabilities

The assessment revealed critical health-related safety concerns, including limited access to accessible healthcare services and sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) support. WHRDs with disabilities have been facing social and cultural discrimination, economic hardship, and exclusion from leadership and decision-making spaces. Their voices are often marginalized within both the women’s rights and disability rights movements, highlighting the urgent need for more inclusive and intersectional advocacy frameworks. To address these challenges, Access Planet developed a Safety and Security Tool through the multi-stage assessment process. The organization plans to translate this tool into Nepali and disseminate it across various Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), enabling replication and adaptation of the framework to suit different contexts.

Outcomes of the Assessment 

• 40 WHRDs with disabilities and stakeholders participated in the consultation process.
• Full participation in the validation workshop showed strong commitment to the issue, and it confirmed earlier findings and allowed deeper discussion.
• Key safety and security issues were identified across health, social, economic, and rights-based areas.
• Strategies and recommendations were documented for future advocacy and action.
• Participants proposed actionable solutions and advocacy priorities.
• The assessment process increased awareness and ownership among WHRDs and stakeholders.
• Based on the findings, the organization has developed Safety and Security tools for WHRDs with disabilities that identified the crucial risks and propose practical solutions
• Significantly strengthened Access Planet's advocacy efforts and reinforced its commitment to fostering safer, more inclusive environments for WHRDs with disabilities.