10. Children living with disabilities in humanitarian crises
The experience of children with disabilities is often one of marginalization and disempowerment, as many live isolated lives and struggle against stigma, discrimination and an environment that does not accommodate their needs, and excludes them from social participation.
The 2011 Secretary-General report on the status of the Convention on the Rights of the Child indicates that in times of humanitarian crisis, including armed conflict and natural disasters, children with disabilities and their families become even more vulnerable and, if and when they survive, face a higher risk of being becoming victims of injury, abuse and neglect. Children with disabilities face particular challenges during humanitarian crises.
They may:
- be unable to escape due to inaccessible evacuation routes
- lose access to support services and assistive technology
- lose an assistive devise and/or caregiver and thus be extremely vulnerable to physical violence, and to sexual, emotional and verbal abuse
- be invisible in registration, data collection or needs assessments
- be excluded from or unable to access mainstream assistance programmes such as health centre or food distribution due both to physical barriers (i.e. lack of accessible buildings) or to the struggle against negative attitudes and uncompromising environments.
Moreover humanitarian crises may result in life-long injuries for children.
This article can be seen in full at the UNICEF website: http://www.unicef.org/disabilities/index_65318.html
