From being forgotten to "vulnerable beings"
More than 43 million people worldwide at present are being forcibly displaced as a result of conflict and persecution. Several million people remain displaced because of natural disasters, although updated statistics are not available. More than 15 million of the uprooted are refugees who fled their home countries, while another 27 million are people who remain displaced by conflict within their own homelands.
There are difficulties in collecting accurate data on impairment and disability in humanitarian emergencies. The World Report on Disability estimates that 15.3% of the world’s population has a moderate or severe disability and that this proportion is likely to increase to 18-20% in conflict-affected populations In comparison, of the surveyed refugees 22% are affected by an impairment and 6% by a severe impairment. People with intellectual impairments and their families faced the most extreme challenges.
War never forgets to leave its mark. According to a study published last year by Handicap International, about 1 in 15 Syrian refugees living in Jordan were injured in the war. A large number of people with spinal cord injuries are refugees. Many have amputated limbs. Prosthetic legs are neither cheap nor easily available. Physiotherapy becomes a luxury for many. Medicines are expensive. Wheelchairs break and cost money to repair.
Many remain hidden. People living with disabilities may be left behind during flight, or may not survive the journey; they are often not identified or counted in registration or data collection exercises; they are excluded from or unable to access mainstream assistance programmes and forgotten when specialized services are set up. They are often the most exposed to protection risks, including physical and sexual violence, exploitation, harassment and discrimination. The loss of family members or caregivers during displacement can leave persons with disabilities more isolated and vulnerable than they were in their home communities. And their potential to contribute and participate is seldom recognized.
Refugees and displaced persons living with disabilities are amongst the most hidden, excluded, neglected and vulnerable of all displaced persons. The destruction of health and social services during conflicts or after a natural disaster can deprive them of essential preventative and curative medical services, resulting in permanent disabilities which could otherwise have been prevented. Women with disabilities are often exposed to sexual violence, domestic abuse and physical assault. Children with disabilities mostly suffer from exploitation and neglect. They are excluded from education and not provided with the support to help them develop to their full capacity. Older persons with disabilities may be abandoned or neglected by family members who can no longer care for them. They are liable to face extreme isolation and vulnerability and may not be able to access the basic health care, food and shelter they need to survive.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) needs to provide more intensive technical support on disability inclusion to its country operations at different stages in the planning cycle and different phases of a crisis. A global measurement and evaluation of the implementation of the UNHCR Guidance on Disability must be conducted. It is high time that humanitarian organizations conduct context- and program-specific action planning on disability inclusion. Disability service providers have to raise awareness about refugees and displaced persons with disabilities.
Abha Khetarpal
