While women with disabilities often become victims of violence, the time consuming judicial system always fail to provide them justice, said discussants at a roundtable in the capital's The Daily Star Centre yesterday.

By denying justice, the judicial apparatus further weakens the victims while the oppressors become more powerful, they told the roundtable, "Protibondhi Narir Proti Sahingshata", organised by National Council of Disabled Women.

Bangladesh National Women Lawyers' Association Executive Director Advocate Salma Ali said, "Political parties should be forced to specifically tell before the election what they would do for people with disabilities if they go to power.”

Women with disabilities face double oppression in society: first for being a woman and then for having disabilities, she said.

Advocate Khondaker Shahriar Shakir of Supreme Court said although there were 70 lakh women with disabilities in the country, society and the state gave very little attention to them.

"Most of the important public buildings do not have accessibility for people with disabilities," he added.

On the violence on women with disabilities, National Human Rights Commission Chairman

Mizanur Rahman said, "It is the society that has disabilities, because it can not treat everyone equally.”

Law Commission Member Prof M Shah Alam said stopping violence on women with disabilities requires a movement and popular struggle and urged people with disabilities to work as a pressure group on the government for their empowerment.

The figure of people with disabilities in Bangladesh at present is 1.6 crore, said the speakers.