Girls in Azerbaijan battle disability stigma with sports

ABSHERON, Azerbaijan –Fourteen-year-old Maryam stood, awe-struck, at the edge of an indoor football pitch in Absheron, Azerbaijan. “For me, seeing a real soccer pitch, a real goal net, and putting on a real soccer jersey has been utterly shocking,” she said.Life is often isolating for young people like Maryam, who is living with Autism. In Azerbaijan, nearly half of youth with disabilities are educated at home, away from their peers, according to a2010 survey.
Source: UNFPA News - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: news