Challenges such as lack of accessible food distribution points, or consuming lesser portions of food, expose people with disabilities to risk of starvation, dehydration, worsening health conditions, and imminent death
Mofokeng, a physician, is the UN special rapporteur on the right to health. Bosha is a fellow at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law.
ISTANBUL
The philosophical works of Cameroonian thinker Achille Mbembe underscore the creation of “death worlds” and the use of weapons of war to inflict maximum destruction on human beings. In the death world of war, people in the grip of conflict are “subjugated to conditions of life conferring upon them the status of living dead.” In a world where default settings are ableist, war brings into sharp focus the deadly impact of this form of discrimination.
Disability in a war zone
People with disabilities are often at greater risk of death and injury in the theatre of war compared to non-disabled people. In the Gaza war, the UN reports that persons with disabilities live daily in deep distress with the expectation that they will be the first and the next to be killed because of the limited opportunities to flee and take part in first or successive evacuations due to impairment.
Deaf people are unable to hear rocket warning sirens or other audio messages and are unable to detect and respond to danger in a timely manner without the help of family members or caregivers. Those who rely on assistive devices such as wheelchairs are not able to move to safety without support, and cannot make use of vehicles or modes of transport for evacuation, which are often not accessible to them. In some cases, even if they have the support of family members, rubble and debris can severely restrict their movement, slowing their escape. People who read using Braille are often unable to access information about evacuation plans, which is often only provided in written format. Additionally, they are heavily reliant on sighted people to be able to navigate their evacuation and escape to safety.
For people with intellectual disabilities such as autism, war and disruption to their routine cause sensory overload which leads to mental distress and can also endanger their security and that of their caregivers. Before last Oct. 7, about 21,000 children were recognized as children with intellectual disabilities in Gaza.
Measures to protect civilian population
The lack of inclusive humanitarian assistance, including medical support, has severe implications for the physical and mental health of people with disabilities in conflict. There is a disruption to access to assistive devices, medication, and other medical services necessary for a dignified existence, leading to a decline in health outcomes, or subjection to chronic pain and discomfort particularly for those with conditions such as cerebral palsy. The limited access to or lack of accessible food distribution points and sanitary facilities also poses inordinate challenges for people with disabilities. A humanitarian organization in Gaza reported that a man in a wheelchair was limiting his food and water intake due to difficulty in accessing shared toilets. Challenges such as the lack of accessible food distribution points, or consuming lesser portions of food, expose people with disabilities to the risk of starvation, dehydration, worsening health conditions, and imminent death.
The onslaught on the civilian population in Gaza has resulted in amputations and mental harm due to the new permanent physical disabilities in the injured. More than a thousand children have had one or more of their limbs amputated, and thousands have acquired disabilities due to injuries and trauma, including a loss of hearing and speech impairment. The constant need to move to the next “safe zone” interrupts care necessary for new amputees to adapt to their condition, and places their physical and mental health and recovery at risk. With the destruction of many major hospitals in Gaza, including prosthetics centers, surgical amputations are sub-optimal and will likely need follow-up surgery, and there is no access to prosthetics and rehabilitation facilities to help individuals regain some sense of mobility.
Measures to protect civilian populations in conflict must adopt an inclusive approach informed by the lived realities of persons with disabilities. Failure to recognize the need for accommodations during times of conflict, violates international law and the rights of persons with disabilities.
