An interview with MEP Rosa Estaràs Ferragut about her commitment to disability rights and her perspective on the upcoming European elections.
Rosa Estaràs Ferragut is a member of the European Parliament, from the Group of the European People’s Party.
Since 2009, she is a member of the Disability Intergroup. She is also active in the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality.
Legal capacity and voting rights
Many people under guardianship can’t vote or stand for elections. This means they can’t participate in political life and make decisions for themselves and the country where they live. Their participation in democracy is limited.
MEP Rosa Estaràs defines the denial of voting rights as a ‘big democratic anomaly’
“We have to guarantee the right to vote for all citizens. People cannot be excluded because they have some kind of disability, European citizens cannot be excluded from their right to vote and to participate in elections.”
Rosa Estaràs said it is important to urge all EU countries to comply with UNCRPD, which states that voting right is a right of all citizens.
“We must insist that all Member States make all legislative changes to comply with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and comply with democracy.”
As an example, she reported that in 2018, Spain undertook the reform of its general electoral law to allow all persons with disabilities to exercise their right to vote. With this reform 100,000 Spanish citizens who were deprived of this right can now vote.
Discrimination and participation
Women with disabilities face many difficulties, firstly because they are women and because they are people with disabilities, that is to say, they have a double circumstance that generates greater discrimination.
Women with disabilities face intersectional discrimination in many areas of life. MEP Estaràs Ferragut added that the first thing to do is to fight against discrimination in the areas of education and workplace. In this way, it is possible to achieve greater inclusivity and greater participation.
Rosa Estaràs reported examples of how women with disabilities are discriminated against in daily life.
**Regarding employment: **
- unemployment rates for women with disabilities throughout Europe are higher than for men with disabilities
- both men and women with disabilities have higher rates of unemployment than people without disabilities
- difficulties in social participation
Regarding justice and equality:
- women with disabilities face many problems to access justice
- there are higher rates of violence against women with disabilities
- access to health services
“We have to take many steps to be able to change all this and to have data to be able to make strategies to remove all the obstacles and discrimination of which they are already victims.”
Rosa Estaràs discussed with us how political campaigns and messages often overlook the concerns of women with disabilities.
European elections: inclusive political campaigns and data
“We have a European Disability Strategy and a Gender Strategy, but we need a lot of data to be able to create an adequate strategy for all those women with disabilities.”
For Rosa Estaràs, it is necessary to have all the data to be able to create strategies that are precisely aimed at the specific needs of these women. Collecting data is a priority to increase accessibility and inclusion in the labour market, justice, participation and fair salaries. It is also important to avoid a digital divide and to fight against violence against women.
EU institutions and political participation: best practices
Rosa Estaràs mentioned the existence of specific networks for women with disabilities, but also the need for more networks like these. For instance, the Association of Women with Disabilities (CERMI), was created in 2014. They work with networks and are part of many alliances. They also conduct studies and have a permanent observatory.