Multiple identities and vulnerabilities the experiences of physical and sexual violence on women with physical disabilities in the informal sector of Ilala municipality of Dar es Salaam

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of physical violence against women with physical disabilities and its effects on their work in the informal sector. The study was conducted in Ilala Municipality of Dar es Salaam region. The data was sourced and analysed using qualitative methods, including structured interviews, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and documentary review. The findings revealed that the women with physical disabilities are engaged in economic activities based on the available opportunities and that they rely on skills gained at special schools for persons with disabilities. The violence the women experience is opportunistic, taking advantage of their perceived vulnerability and is attached to the stigma that devalues the life of a woman with disability. For women with disability the violence is a way to degrade them because they are seen as different and physical and financially dependent. The main perpetrators are intimate partners, family members and bus conductors. The incidents of violence cause psychological trauma and affect a woman’s ability to work and earn an income. In order to address the challenges faced by violence against women with physical disabilities working in the informal sector, the government needs to improve: the process of reporting abuse and the implementation of policies that provide for the education, employment and health care of women with disabilities. Both civil society and the government need to sensitize communities on disability and mainstream women with disabilities into gender based violence advocacy campaigns.