Reports

Within the context of the West Bank, Palestinians are constantly exposed to violence, which results in new injuries, long-term disabilities, and mental health challenges related to adverse experiences.

When explosive weapons are used in populated areas, they have direct and indirect impacts on the provision of services, community cohesion, humanitarian access, regular support for basic needs, physical safety, mental health and psychological well-being, as well as other social and economic impacts. The challenges and human impacts in hard-to-reach areas – such as in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Kherson Oblasts – exemplify the specific and systematic pattern of harm caused by explosive weapons during and after armed conflicts.

Women and girls living with disabilities have the same sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) as women and girls without disabilities. Women and girls with disabilities face different barriers when making independent, informed decisions about their bodies, health and lives. This document aims to increase awareness of a human rights-based approach to informed consent for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care and to promote equitable and inclusive practice.

The devastating impact of explosive weapons on civilians is not limited to direct harm on their lives and health. More often than not, reverberating or “domino’’ effects follow the destruction or damage of critical infrastructure and multiply the humanitarian impact of the use of these weapons. In this factsheet, Humanity & Inclusion details the immediate and long-term consequences of explosive weapons in Gaza.

Since October 7, the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip has completely collapsed. In northern Gaza, doctors are only able to offer patients the most basic assistance and conduct only emergency lifesaving surgeries, often under flashlights and with a minimal number of anesthetics and painkillers.

This data encompasses the severe impact of armed violence, with not only immediate fatalities but also a considerable number of injuries, leaving a profound and lasting humanitarian crisis in its wake. Both air-launched and surface-launched explosive weapons are being extensively employed against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, leading to a humanitarian catastrophe. The consequences are devastating, with not only civilians being directly killed and injured, but also massive destruction of infrastructure, including homes, schools, and hospitals, being destroyed, and entire communities forced to flee their homes.

Humanity & Inclusion is a recognized leader in the inclusion of persons with disabilities, with the added value of systematically addressing the intersectionality of age, gender, and disability alongside other key contextual factors contributing to risk and vulnerability. People with disabilities in Gaza are facing the inability to evacuate, separation from family and the inability to access aid.

Women and girls with disabilities are rarely taken into consideration or specifically targeted through humanitarian and development investment. As long as women and gender diverse people with disabilities continue to be excluded, women’s empowerment and women’s meaningful participation will not be attained by all women. This briefing paper was written by Humanity & Inclusion in partnership with DAWN Canada, Live Work Well Research Center, and Engendering Disability-Inclusive Development.

In close collaboration with the World Health Organization, Humanity & Inclusion adapted and piloted WHO’s behavioral and social drivers (BeSD) of vaccination tools to understand and analyze the perception of COVID-19 vaccines as well as the barriers and drivers of immunization among persons with disabilities in a humanitarian setting in Somalia/Somaliland. This study was funded by the Universal Health Coverage and Life Course (UHL) division of the Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals (IVB) department of the World Health Organization, Geneva. Humanity & Inclusion also carried out a Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) project, contributing to the inquiry phase described in this report, to foster the right to health as well as access to COVID-19 vaccination in Somalia/Somaliland, funded by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.

As conflict in Ukraine continues, the gravity of the humanitarian needs of people in areas directly affected by conflict are deteriorating, leading to consider humanitarian assistance and service provision as most urgent and life-saving. Amongst the people affected, households with members with disabilities and/or older persons may experience greater repercussions and socio-economic implications due to the barriers they face in meeting their needs, including accessing basic services and assistance. The report was written by Humanity & Inclusion with support from USAID.