KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 8 The Women and Social Welfare Committee of the House of Representatives has asked the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens and the National Planning Commission to effectively carry out COVID response activities to ensure that differently-abled people get maximum benefits. During a meeting among governmental and institutional stakeholders on ‘Access of Differently-abled Women to State Facilities and COV- ID-19 Response’, the parliamentary panel said differently-abled women were more affected by the pandemic compared to others. “Effective coordination and collaboration among the federal, provincial and local levels is expedient for proper and dignified management of differently-abled persons,” it said. Differently-abled persons kept in institutional quarantine and isolation centres lack access to information in sign language, audio, video, pictorial forms, captioning, simple language, easy-to-read format and in all other appropriate possible alternative formats. Many of them do not have assistive devices and services that suit their needs. Differently-abled women and girls are subject to various forms of discrimination related to sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and lack legal protection. They are also at heightened risk of suffering sexual violence compared to those without physical disabilities. The house panel said such women and girls had been facing difficulties in mobility for subsistence during the pandemic. “Therefore, the MoWCSC and NPC should align COVID-19 response along the constitutional and legal provisions, which guarantees right of the differently-abled persons to dignified life without any discrimination on the basis of their physical and mental condition,” it said. A version of this article appears in print on October 09, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.