WUNRN
Office of the UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES - THE
FORGOTTEN VICTIMS OF SYRIA'S CONFLICT - WOMEN
GENEVA (17 September 2013) – The conflict in Syria is resulting in persons with disabilities facing gross violations of their rights on a daily basis and they need to be afforded much greater protection, the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has said. “Living in the midst of conflict is physically and emotionally distressing, but all the more so for persons with disabilities who face the same if not greater barriers in times of armed conflict,” said the Committee, which is composed of 18 independent human rights experts. “Syria is a State Party to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Article 11 of the Convention says that a State Party is obliged under international humanitarian and human rights law to take all necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including armed conflict,” the CRPD noted..........
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SYRIA - REFUGEES - FORMIDABLE
CHALLENGES & NEW OPPORTUNITIES - DISABLED SYRIAN WOMEN & GIRLS
By
Emily Shrair - March 26, 2013
The number of Syrian refugees has passed Well over the 1 million mark. According to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) there are now more than 375,000 Syrian refugees in neighboring Lebanon.
In any refugee crisis, persons with disabilities face significant challenges accessing vital humanitarian assistance programs. Emma Pearce, the Women’s Refugee Commission’s senior program officer for our disabilities initiative, is in Lebanon this month at the request of UNHCR to provide program advice and support.
During field visits with Handicap International and UNCHR’s community services team, Emma met people with newly acquired impairments as a result of injuries from the conflict in Syria. Agencies report seeing increasing numbers of refugees with new disabilities due to war injuries, and are coordinating with each other and Lebanese health services to provide medical care and rehabilitation. Emma also met with persons with developmental delays, hearing and vision impairments and their families – and noted that many are living in collective shelters that they share with other families, renting rooms in buildings still under construction or living in tented settlements.
In one report, Emma described meeting Alia*, a 13-year-old Syrian girl living in a tent settlement. Alia is blind. She was learning braille in Syria, but when she and her family fled, she lost all of her braille books and machine for writing, one of her key means of communication. She told Emma that despite her restricted mobility, she is learning her way around the settlement, but worries about falling over, and sometimes bumps into people and objects.
Refugees living with disabilities like Alia are among the most hidden and neglected of all displaced people. They are excluded from or unable to access most aid programs because of physical and social barriers or because of negative attitudes and biases. They are often not identified when aid agencies and organizations collect data and assess needs during and after a humanitarian disaster. They are more likely to be forgotten when health and support services are provided. Often, refugees with disabilities are more isolated following their displacement than when they were in their home communities. For all these reasons, the Women’s Refugee Commission is giving priority attention to advancing the rights of persons with disabilities and promoting their full inclusion in relief and recovery programs in Lebanon and elsewhere.
In addition to working with traditional humanitarian organizations, the Women’s Refugee Commission has also recognized the important role local organizations can play in supporting refugees with disabilities. In one report from the field, Emma called our attention to the proactive approach of Lebanese nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and government agencies in the Bekaa Valley to include Syrian refugees with disabilities in their work. One organization, the Lebanese Physical Handicapped Union, has already included seven Syrian refugees in their vocational training program. A Social Development Center, run by the Ministry of Social Affairs, has deaf Syrian children in their classes. The Lebanese Democratic Association for Women’s Rights in Baalbek which empowers women through programs in various areas including vocational training and prevention and response to gender-based violence already actively engages Lebanese women with disabilities in their work and they are now looking to expand their programs to Syrian refugees.
Emma’s reports from the field are hopeful in some respects, but we also know that there are so many urgent needs among the Syrian refugee population. We hope that donor governments will respond most generously to the UN refugee agency’s appeal for funds so that lifesaving assistance can be provided to those in greatest need, including refugees with disabilities.
*Name changed to protect identity
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Women's Refugee Commission - https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/system/files/documents/files/WRC%20Disability_Inclusion_in_the_Syrian_Refugee_Response_in_Lebanon_EXEC_SUM.pdf
DISABILITIES INCLUSION IN THE SYRIAN REFUGEE RESPONSE IN LEBANON
Executive Summary
Over 1.6 million refugees have fled Syria since the conflict started two years ago, with almost one-third seeking protection in Lebanon alone. Persons with disabilities remain one of the most vulnerable and socially excluded groups in any displaced community, and they may have difficulty accessing humanitarian assistance programs, due to a variety of societal, environmental and communication barriers. This increases their risk of protection concerns, including violence, abuse and exploitation. As humanitarian agencies scale up responses to meet the ever-growing and complex needs of populations displaced by the crisis in Syria, it is critical that persons with disabilities are included in and have access to humanitarian assistance and programs.
This report presents the key findings and recommendations from a four-week field assessment conducted by the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) in northern and eastern Lebanon in March 2013, and follow-up workshops with UNHCR staff and partners conducted in May 2013. The WRC consulted with over 80 humanitarian actors and 120 refugees during field visits. Consultations involved a combination of group discussions in community centers and visits to homes and tented settlements to conduct interviews.
Key Findings
Most persons with disabilities living in the Lebanese communities are able to access UNHCR registration, through a combination of static registration centers, "in absentia" and mobile registration strategies. Persons with injuries and new impairments in the North, are often admitted to local hospital facilities on arrival in the country. These individuals and hospital staff in contact with them have expressed confusion about registration systems, and a lack of information about fast-track processes and services available upon registration.
Due to resource limitations and the emergency nature of the response, health partners are only able to cover the costs of urgent and life-saving procedures. In some case, refugees are paying for surgical and rehabilitation services, depleting what limited funds they have and adding to the financial strain on them and their families. Persons with new disabilities are generally unable to access longer-term rehabilitation that might in turn support their access and inclusion in community services and programs. At present, these longer-term health and rehabilitation needs, which we can anticipate will increase as the conflict in Syria continues, are not fully reflected in response planning.
Registration and protection staff, NGO outreach workers and case managers alike often view persons with disabilities through a medical model, failing to recognize social factors that may increase their vulnerability to protection concerns, and require a more comprehensive case management approach. This is particularly the case for persons with severe intellectual impairments and new physical disabilities, who may be isolated or hidden in their shelters.
There are, however, some positive developments in integrating disability into trainings for humanitarian staff, and some agencies have started to consider ways in which they can adapt their programs to promote access and inclusion. Positive strategies noted in this assessment include:
Direct Link to Full 21-Page 2013 Report: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Disability_Inclusion_in_the_Syrian_Refugee_Response_in_Lebanon.pdf