Take five: “The rights to freedom and dignity are non-negotiable and must never depend on goodwill or self-interest”

Milesa Milinkovic is a feminist and outspoken advocate for the rights of women with disabilities from Serbia, who has long used both art and activism to challenge stereotypes and amplify marginalized voices. She began her journey as president of the “Novi Sad Association of Students with Disabilities” and went on to lead “Seize the Film,” an international festival dedicated to stories about people with disabilities. As a filmmaker, she directed the award-winning shorts “Between the Lines” (2012) and “A Moment of Joy” (2013), while also publishing widely on feminism and disability. With the upcoming edition of the “Seize the Film,” open in November in Novi Sad, with additional screenings planned in Rijeka and Kotor, we return to Milesa Milinkovic to reflect on progress made in advancing the rights of women with disabilities. Through her leadership of the women’s civil society organization “Parnas,” she continues to strengthen the autonomy of women with disabilities and ensure their active participation in society. Her commitment is also reflected in her close collaboration with UN Women on initiatives to advance the rights of women with disabilities, where she has been both a partner and mentor to many.

It's been a few years since your last interview with UN Women. How would you describe the path of advocating for the rights of women with disabilities since then, and what has marked this period for you?

Since our last conversation, COVID hit, and with it came both collective and personal challenges and struggles with the (healthcare) system. Once again, women with disabilities were among the most vulnerable groups, and I was no exception. Over the past years, I’ve had to confront a particularly stark form of ableism within the healthcare system - what I would call gender ableism, a layered discrimination that comes from being both a woman and an individual with a disability.

Still, there have been breakthroughs. At last year’s “Seize the Film’ festival, people with visual impairments were able, for the first time, to fully experience the screenings with synchronized voiceovers and audio descriptions. It was a rare and powerful moment of true inclusion.

You often speak about the importance of mutual support among women. How do you nurture solidarity and a sense of community in your everyday activism, especially at a time when divisions seem to be growing?

I try to make sure that when I speak about women with disabilities, I don’t speak only about women with disabilities. I consciously include women with other identities and experiences, and I try to highlight the shared roots of different forms of oppression.

Accessibility goes far beyond physical barriers. What do you see as the biggest challenges facing women with disabilities in everyday life?

At the root of the problem is a lack of care - a lack of concern for both rights and people. Women with disabilities continue to face limited access to information, little systemic support, and exposure to various forms of violence, whether in family settings or institutions.

They are often excluded from resources and decision-making processes. And even when women with disabilities reach positions of power, it’s rare to find those who remain connected to the values of justice and solidarity. Too often, their voices are pushed aside or ignored.

Art often succeeds where words fall short, and the “Seize the Film” Festival has been challenging perceptions about people with disabilities for years. What can we expect from this year’s edition, and what message do you hope will resonate most?

This year, the festival will be smaller in scale because of reduced funding from the City of Novi Sad and delays in national-level support. But despite these challenges, we are fully committed to keeping the programme inclusive and accessible.

Thanks to the support of the “Trag Foundation” and the “Reconstruction Women’s Fund,” two full days of the festival will be dedicated to women. We will spotlight women with disabilities and women filmmakers who bring powerful and thought-provoking topics to the screen.

Through both the films and the accompanying programme, we want to remind audiences of the fundamental importance of freedom, dignity, and life.

If you could leave one sentence on the desk of every institution, what would it say about the rights and dignity of women with disabilities?

The rights to life, freedom, and dignity are not favors to be granted. They are non-negotiable and must never depend on goodwill or self-interest.

UN Women works to improve the position of women with disabilities through the project “Strengthening Equality and Rights, Bolstering Inclusive Action,” funded by the Global Disability Fund and implemented jointly with UNDP and UNFPA. One of the project’s aims is to improve national planning, budgeting, and monitoring so that the perspectives of people with disabilities – especially women – are fully included.