The meeting brought together representatives of blind women's associations from throughout Croatia, who said that they were ready to change the present situation through training and empowering blind women's role in their family and local and wider community.
The Croatian Blind Union has 6,039 members, of whom 2,948 or 48% are women. Among them are 661 able-bodied women aged 20-60, but only 170 or 25% are employed.
Marija Mustac of the Blind Union said that blind women were discriminated against at three levels: as women, as persons with disabilities, and within the disabled population. "That's why we want to empower the blind women to help them exercise their rights and to sensitise the authorities for their inclusion in the labour market. Financial independence, equal rights and integration into society are important preconditions to increase their quality of life," she said.
The meeting was attended by the Ombudswoman for Gender Equality, Visnja Ljubicic, and the Director of the Institute for Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities, Lidija Hrastic, who expressed their support for blind women.