What’s it like living with disability in Somalia?

What in the World

• Episode: What’s it like living with disability in Somalia?
• Website: What in the World
• Feed URL: https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/w13xtvrv.rss
• Duration: 00:14:42
• Published: 2024-08-22 15:32

The Somali Parliament recently passed the National Disability Act. Twelve percent of the population in Somalia are estimated to be living with a disability. People with disabilities in Somalia have less access to formal education and higher rates of unemployment. This new law aims to protect their rights, make sure they get equal opportunities in jobs, education, and healthcare, and help reduce the stigma they face.

Fardowsha Hanshi, a BBC journalist from Somalia, explains what life is like in Somalia for people living with a disability and talks about her own experience of disability. She tells us what activists hope this new law will achieve. BBC journalist Ellis Palmer describes where the first disability legislation came from - and why implementation and individual advocacy is key.

And we hear from Kenyan Wilson Macharia, who is visually impaired and sued a company in Kenya for discrimination.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Emilia Jansson and Lizzy Bella Editor: Verity Wilde