Women with Disabilities

Disabilities Among Refugees and Conflict-Affected Populations

• Six month research project • Goals: Raise awareness

Change practice• Studied five country operations• Interviewed practitioners, donors, policy

makers, experts, and refugees with disabilities• Looked at all sectors of service provision• Covered camp-based and urban populations

Sectors Assessed• Identification and registration • camp layout and infrastructure • food and nutrition • health services • psychosocial services • inclusive education • vocational training, employment and livelihoods • participation and community inclusion• protection

Women’s work in refugee and IDP contexts

Collecting firewood

Child care

cooking

Income generation

Food distributions

What if that woman has a disability?

Consider the risks women fleeing conflict face

Findings

• Less able to flee, more often left behind during return

• Refugees with disabilities often forgotten and invisible – even more so for women

• Those with disabilities more limited by our actions than by their physical and mental abilities

• Potential to contribute and participate seldom recognized

• Traditional community coping mechanisms, including extended families, neighbors and other caregivers, often break down during displacement

• Protection risks: discrimination, harassment, stigmatization, neglect and exclusion

• Risks of sexual violence and abuse

Consider not only women with disabilities but mothers/care-givers of children with disabilities

GAPS• No organization serving as convener• Near complete lack of awareness among

mainstream service providers• Lack of engagement of local DPOs

Solutions – Application of the Convention

• The principles enshrined in the UN Convention should underpin all refugee and IDP assistance programs

• Article 11 calls on States Parties to take “all necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and the occurrence of natural disasters.”

Solutions• Conflicts and emergencies can be catalysts for

positive social, attitudinal and environmental change

• Centralized data collection system – disaggregated by age, gender, type of disability

• Disability awareness for all service providers• Establish self-help and support networks• Provide equal access and opportunity for all

mainstream services• The provision of needed targeted services

Resource Kit• For fieldworkers• Practical

checklists and tools on how to improve services and protection for displaced persons with disabilities