Protecting People with Disabilities, the Forgotten Victims of Humanitarian Crises

December 3, 2024. Humanitarian crises, including armed conflicts and climatic disasters, heavily affect people with disabilities. They find it more difficult to protect themselves and are often left out of the humanitarian aid provided. HI, which responded to 15 crises in 2023, including Gaza and Ukraine, is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities are always included.  

What are the Risks for Persons with Disabilities? 

1.3 billion people - or 16% of the world's population - have a disability. They are particularly vulnerable to crises:  

• It is estimated that people with disabilities are 2 to 4 times more likely to die in the event of a disaster. According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), only one in four people with disabilities can follow evacuation procedures without difficulty in the event of a disaster, and only 11% claim to be aware of a disaster management plan in their community. 

• In the event of forced displacement during evacuations, they are also more exposed to violence, exploitation, and abuse, such as gender-based violence.  

Sophie Allin, HI Inclusion Specialist, states, “The bombardments have been raging for over a year in Gaza, the war in Sudan has led to massive population displacements and more and more countries are being hit by deadly climatic disasters in Africa and Asia. When we provide aid to populations affected by disaster and armed conflict, we also include people with disabilities, who all too often fly under the radar of humanitarian organizations.” 

Obstacles Faced by Persons with Disabilities: 

• Escaping violence or danger when in a wheelchair; 

• Accessing emergency infrastructures such as shelters, hospitals, and aid distribution points when you have reduced mobility or an intellectual disability; 

• Receiving evacuation orders or information about support when you are deaf or blind, for example; 

• Obtaining specific healthcare services such as physiotherapy, specialized medicines, and wheelchairs when teams have fled or buildings have been destroyed; 

• getting treatment when health centers are overwhelmed, prioritizing emergency care, and leaving disabled people behind 
• People with so-called “invisible” disabilities, such as psychological or mental disorders, are also vulnerable and discriminated against in emergencies. They can suffer from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress following a shock. 

HI Responses to 15 crises  

• 15 crises where HI had emergency responses in 2023  

• Countries and regions: Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Libya, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sahel region, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, Ukraine, Yemen. 

HI Emergency Preparedness Programs  

•  HI currently runs 26 disaster preparedness projects in 16 countries. Through these projects, HI directly and indirectly supports nearly 800,000 people worldwide. 
• In addition to its emergency preparedness operations, HI systematically includes people with disabilities in its emergency programs. It also trains other organizations to include people with disabilities in their responses effectively. 

Bangladesh - Ibrahim, Unable to Escape a Flood with his Wheelchair 

Last August was a particularly devastating month in Bangladesh, with intense monsoon rains hitting the country's northeast and triggering major flooding.

Ibrahim Khalil, a 19-year-old resident of Feni, one of the districts most affected by the floods, has been disabled since contracting polio as a child. On August 21, water began to enter his house during the night. Unable to escape in his wheelchair, he and his aunt had to wait until sunrise, hoping to stay alive.  

It was only the next day that his aunt sought help in the shanty town, and thanks to the local community, they could take shelter in a nearby house. Their dwelling could not withstand the force of the waves. In their one-room house, all the furniture is soaked with water, and the front door is inaccessible. Ibrahim’s wheelchair was broken, and he had to move around on the floor alone, with several leg injuries. 

HI teaches local organizations representing disabled people how to play a helpful part in the humanitarian response. 

Lebanon - Mohammed, Living with Cerebral Palsy in the Turmoil of War 

Mohammed was born with cerebral palsy due to complications during his birth. He has limited mobility due to muscle stiffness: he cannot sit, stand, or walk. He also has a significant language delay. His difficulties have been exacerbated by the daily bombardments that have rocked his hometown of Aita Al Chaeb, located near the Israeli-Lebanese border. Mohammed's family fled to Maarakeh. The family of ten, including Mohammed, now shares a modest three-room house provided by the villagers. In collaboration with the Palestinian Women's Humanitarian Organization (PWHO), HI provided Mohammed with his first wheelchair adapted to his cerebral palsy, a rehabilitation ball for home exercises, a hygiene kit, and diapers for his sanitary needs. He was put in touch with the PWHO rehabilitation center, where he began receiving physical therapy to improve his positioning and muscle strength and occupational therapy to improve his motor and coordination skills. 

Quick Chronology: 

2015: HI publishes a report on disability in humanitarian contexts. 

2016: The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is adopted.