Taken as a whole, States’ obligations with regard to the human rights of women and girls with disabilities include:

1. Obligation to respect:

   States must refrain from engaging in any act, custom, or practice that creates barriers to enjoyment of the rights of women and girls with disabilities.

   Example: The State may not restrict access to sexual and reproductive health care services for women with disabilities.

   Example: The State prohibits sterilization of all women, including women with intellectual or other disabilities, without their informed consent.

2. Obligation to protect:

   States must take action to ensure that non-State or private actors do not violate the rights of women and girls with disabilities.

   Example: The State takes measures to ensure careful monitoring of all settings where women with disabilities live or receive services, whether publicly or privately.

   Example: The State includes women with disabilities in decision-making processes that concern them, such as policy making on gender-based violence.

3. Obligation to fulfil:

   States must take proactive steps to ensure enjoyment of the rights of women and girls with disabilities.

   Example: The State undertakes information campaigns that seek to dispel the myth that girls with disabilities do not require or “deserve” an education.

   Example: The State initiates training programs for health care providers to ensure that women with disabilities receive necessary accommodations in accessing health care, such as access for women who use wheelchairs to breast cancer screening.

In sum, international human rights law makes clear that States have the obligation to respect, protect, and fulfil the rights of women and girls with disabilities in all areas of life on an equal basis with others.