Fight For Right, and Members of the LEADERKA DRIVE Movement Expose New Threats and Call for Change
From 6 to 8 March,members of the LEADERKA DRIVE movement held a strategic meeting to discuss overcoming the community’s challenges caused by russia’s war against Ukraine and to ensure the rights of girls and women with disabilities are met.
The LEADERKA DRIVE movement brought together alumnas of the “Leaderka” School of Political Participation for Girls and Women with Disabilities (2019–2025) as well as activists with disabilities from across Ukraine. We jointly voiced the most pressing safety issues in wartime: ranging from inaccessible bomb shelters, a lack of vital statistical data, and cynical attempts at exploitation through sham marriages, which constitute psychological violence and manipulation. Additionally, we planned the movement’s activities for 2026–2027 and developed an operational plan.
Systemic Gaps
Activists discussed the critical state of infrastructure, employment challenges faced by women with disabilities, and strategies to strengthen local accessibility councils to achieve results. The inaccessibility of bomb shelters, the lack of adapted information about evacuation, and up-to-date statistics on the needs of women with various types of disabilities in local communities are barriers that put lives at risk.
Every second participant shared her experience of men offering her a sham marriage to evade military service, along with other stories of how those seeking personal gain tried to manipulate them. Women reported numerous cases where acquaintances, relatives, neighbours, and even former teachers pressured them to engage in such criminal practices.
These threats are often invisible to the public, and few realize that a “ticket abroad” bought at the expense of a woman’s safety is truly harrowing.
“Before the war, we knocked on countless doors, but all ignored us. Now, in the midst of war, our disability has suddenly become a resource for others’ gain. People have no idea how hard it is for us to overcome every barrier, yet now they try to use us as a ‘tool’ to cross the border,” noted Leonila, a movement participant.
Strategic priorities
As leaders, the movement’s members are ready to continue highlighting problems and collaborating with authorities to achieve real changes in accessibility. They are motivated by successful advocacy examples and plan to strengthen these processes by creating local support networks. Their goal is to ensure no woman with disability faces challenges alone and to transform Ukraine into a truly inclusive and safe country for everyone.
To unite as many activists with disabilities as possible, LEADERKA DRIVE members plan to hold the next “Leaderka” School of Political Participation for girls and women with disabilities in summer of 2026.
“For me, success is not being the only woman with a disability at the negotiating table regarding legislative changes. There should be many of us. Only we know the full spectrum of our problems, and only we can accurately explain where the system fails,” stated movement leader Yuliia Sachuk.
Following in-depth discussions, participants worked on developing the operational plan for the implementation of the three strategic priorities of the LEADERKA DRIVE movement:
- Support and development of girls and women with disabilities: Strengthening the movement from within by developing professional and personal skills.
- Advocacy and participation in decision-making to ensure accessibility: From architectural and transport accessibility to information access. Also, to reduce social barriers, particularly in employment, and enhance the physical safety of women with disabilities in their communities.
- Representation and visibility: Breaking stereotypes through partnerships and social activity, networking with both local and international actors to become part of the global movement for the rights of girls and women with disabilities.
A striking example of increasing the visibility of the LEADERKA DRIVE movement was its participation in the 2026 Women’s March. “Fight for your rights! Believe in yourself!” “Dignity! Equality! Accessibility!”… We voiced these slogans together with women veterans who joined the Fight For Right column. It is the first time that girls and women with disabilities, along with disability rights activists, have marched in a column at the Women’s March. We are gradually changing the rules of the game, engaging in dialogue with communities, supporting one another, and building a network where every woman knows her voice has power. Step by step, we are creating the history of Ukraine.
Background Information:
Since 2019, Fight For Right has conducted the “Leaderka” School of Political Participation for girls and women with disabilities, strengthening their voices in government, politics, and business. Alumnas have moved from training to becoming councilors, civil servants, and leaders in the NGO sector. The next stage is formation within the LEADERKA DRIVE movement, where participants will organize their own training programs and develop initiatives to support women with disabilities all over the country.
LEADERKA DRIVE | Fight For Right is not a separate legal entity but operates within the Fight For Right NGO.
This initiative is implemented as a part of the project “Supporting Women with Disabilities During Russia’s War Against Ukraine” with financial support from the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation.
The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation.
