A new research report by DefendDefenders shows that Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan fall behind their obligations to protect the rights of people with disabilities (PWDs).
The report, titled Overlooked and Unseen: Human rights defenders living with disabilities in conflict areas, highlighted the challenges that stand between PWDs, including human rights defenders (HRDs) with disabilities and the full enjoyment of their inalienable rights.
It found that PWDs in the aforementioned countries face a common set of attitudinal, environmental, and institutional challenges by virtue of their disability, which is compounded and magnified during conflict situations.
A culmination of desk research and field interviews, the study also found that while the policy framework regarding the integration and accommodation of PWDs in all the three countries is predominantly progressive, there remains deep-seated institutional biases, social stigma and discrimination against PWDs.
The study also noted that statistics or comprehensive information on the number and situation of PWDs in the three countries was lacking.
Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan are experiencing internal conflicts that have heightened an already challenging situation for PWDs.
Ethiopia’s Tigray region has been embroiled in a civil war with federal forces since November 2020 after the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) attacked a key Ethiopian military base in the region.
As for Somalia, Al-Shabab, a terrorist group, still controls significant portions of the country; while South Sudan is mired in one of the most complicated and multifaceted conflicts in the East and Horn of Africa, going back decades.
‘Specific categories of HRDs with disabilities face additional challenges. For instance, women HRDs (WHRDs) across the three countries are subjected to multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, dealing with challenges born out of their disabilities, challenges related to their human rights works, and challenges resulting from their identity’, the report said.
‘They are disproportionately impacted by armed conflict and face vulnerabilities linked to pervasive patriarchal norms, cultural values, and traditional gender roles. They are at an increased risk of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
‘The research found that PWDs in Ethiopia face adverse socioeconomic outcomes, including low levels of literacy, high poverty rates, fewer employment opportunities, and poor access to health services.
‘PWDs in Somalia are ostracised and neglected by their communities due to the negative perceptions and assumptions associated with disability. Several interviewees indicated that disability is regarded as a punishment from Allah.
‘HRDs face hostile societal attitudes and stigma from the Somali community at large. In particular, HRDs working on disability rights noted that they are accused of “going against God” and “tarnishing the culture” when advocating for disability rights, especially in remote areas’.
‘Several interviewees noted that South Sudanese people consider disability to be a curse. As a result, some families keep their children with disabilities indoors, either for a very long time, or even throughout their lives in extreme cases’, the report added.
The report called on all three countries to ratify and domesticate the protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa.
Further recommendations include the need to conduct public awareness campaigns to sensitise the public and promote the rights of PWDs, especially in rural areas across the countries.
Source: DefendDefenders
Photo source: NDDB
