COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh –  A severe accident in her home country, Myanmar, left Sakhina* with a fractured waist and lasting mobility and vision difficulties at the age of ten. Despite her condition, Sakhina had to flee her home as violence against the Rohingya population intensified, and she eventually found refuge in the refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. Since her arrival, she had spent most of her time indoors, missing school and avoiding people.

“I felt like my life had stopped while everyone else kept moving forward,” she says.

Like many Rohingya women and girls with disabilities in the refugee camps, Sakhina faced several barriers at once. Roads and facilities were hard to reach, people stigmatized her, and there were very few safe places where she could talk about her feelings.

Change started with a simple awareness session near her shelter. A volunteer from an organisation working with persons with disabilities noticed that Sakhina never joined the activities. After speaking with her family, the volunteer referred her to a UNFPA-supported Women Friendly Space (WFS) run by Mukti Cox’s Bazar. 

When Sakhina first visited the WFS she was shy, reserved, sitting quietly at the back. Over time, she began joining structured group psychosocial sessions, including self-development activities, storytelling, confidence-building games, discussions on safety and ways to cope with stress. As her confidence grew, she started to express her feelings and thoughts openly with the other women and girls in the facility.

“Coming to the Women Friendly Space reminds me that I’m still capable. There are other women here who want to teach me and help me grow. It gave me hope and helped me find myself again,” she says.

Today, her family and neighbours see Sakhina differently. She is developing skills, expressing herself and influencing others around her. She feels proud that her identity is now linked to strength and participation.

Since August 2017, over one million Rohingya refugees have arrived in Cox’s Bazar. Women, girls and persons with disabilities are at particular risk of unintended pregnancy, child and forced marriage, sexual exploitation and life-threatening complications in pregnancy and childbirth.

To respond, UNFPA has developed an integrated model that links sexual and reproductive health with gender-based violence prevention and response. A key part of this model is a network of Women Friendly Spaces across the camps and host communities.

In 2025, UNFPA supported 55 Women Friendly Spaces in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char Island, serving both Rohingya and Bangladeshi host communities. These centres reached more than 330,000 women and girls, including over 8,000 people with disabilities, with services such as gender-based violence case management, psychosocial support, awareness raising, integrated sexual and reproductive health services and emergency referrals.

For Rohingya women and girls like Sakhina, these spaces are often the only place where they can safely disclose violence, seek help, access dignity kits, join skills sessions and rebuild confidence in a supportive community.

UNFPA’s work in Cox’s Bazar places accountability and inclusion at the centre. Women Friendly Spaces use feedback mechanisms such as suggestion boxes, help desks and regular listening sessions to collect views from women and girls, including those with disabilities. Staff then act on concerns, adjust activities and report back to the community so that people can see how their input has shaped services.

Partnerships with organisations working with persons with disabilities help ensure that facilities, information and services become more accessible over time. This approach means that survivors of violence, adolescents and persons with disabilities are not only receiving services but are also helping to improve them.

On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the story of girls like Sakhina shows what inclusion can look like in practice. It is a girl who once stayed hidden at home now walking to a Women Friendly Space, taking part in activities, asking questions and being heard.

“Before, I stayed at home and thought I had no future,” she says. “Now I can come to the centre, learn, and share my ideas. I finally feel like I am part of something.”

For Rohingya women and girls with disabilities, Women Friendly Spaces are not an extra service. They are what turn rights and choices into reality.

* Name changed for safety and privacy.