Disability in Yemen
Disability in Yemen
Demographics
An estimate taken in 2004 indicated that there around 380,000 disabled people in Yemen.[1] A paper produced by the United Nations (UN) in 2009 estimated that somewhere between 3 and 5% of Yemeni people were disabled.[2] In 2014, the Yemeni Handicapped Forum revealed that there were more than two million people living with some type of disability in Yemen.[3] Disabled individuals make up less than 1% of the workforce in the country.[4]
Causes
In many cases disability in Yemen could be prevented.[2] People in Yemen have disabilities related to spinal cord injuries which could be corrected with surgery.[1]
Because of armed conflict in the region, thousands of Yemeni people have lost limbs since 2015.[5]
Discrimination
Families of disabled people and those who are disabled can face social stigma.[6] Some people in Yemen believe that mothers can pass a disability to their children.[6] Families have kept disabled people under virtual house arrest in some situations because of the shame associated with disability.[1]
Human rights
Individuals with disability can be denied access to education, employment, access to healthcare and have difficulties with public spaces and transportation that are not designed to accommodate disabled people.[6]
Policy
The government organization responsible for helping disabled individuals is the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (MOSAL).[7] Yemen is one of the countries who has ratified the UN disability rights treaty.[8] The Ministry of Education in Yemen has not always had enough funding to support disabled students.[3]
Non-governmental organizations
Various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operate in Yemen to help people with disabilities, however, many are underfunded.[3]
Legislation
The Law for the Welfare of Disabled (Law Number 2, 2002) is considered by the UN to be the principal document pertaining to people with disability.[4] Other laws covering disability include articles 115 - 123 of the Child Law (Number 45, 2002) and Public Law Number 61, 1999.[4]
Unique challenges
Because of ongoing conflict in Yemen, people with disabilities face problems such as lack of services and inability to access buildings. Rubble in the streets can make it difficult for those with physical disabilities to access services.[9] Areas that have received heavy bombing have had to discontinue services to people with disabilities.[9]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) states that people with disabilities are at increased risk during times of crisis and conflict.[8]
Disabled women in Yemen face unique challenges because of the conservative attitude towards women in the country.[1] Disabled women in 2004 had illiteracy rates as high as 87 to 90 percent.[1]
Notable activists
- Fatima al-Aqel, activist for individuals with blindness Al-Aman Organization Blind Women Care (AOBWC)
- Jamala al-Baidhani, activist for the civil rights of the disabled, Al-Tahadi Association for Disabled Females
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e Al Qadhi, Mohammed (8 November 2008). "Yemen's disabled face segregation". The National. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ a b ESCWA 2009, p. 4.
- ^ a b c Al-Moshki, Ali Ibrahim (4 December 2014). "Local NGO: Number of disabled citizens in Yemen exceeds two million". Yemen Times. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ a b c ESCWA 2009, p. 7.
- ^ "The scars of war: Yemen's disabled". International Committee of the Red Cross. 2016-05-23. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
- ^ a b c ESCWA 2009, p. 5.
- ^ ESCWA 2009, p. 9.
- ^ a b "People with Disabilities at Added Risk in War, Displacement". Human Rights Watch. 2015-12-03. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
- ^ a b "Dispatches: With Disabilities in Yemen, Left in the Rubble". Human Rights Watch. 2015-05-11. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
Sources
- ESCWA (2009). "Looking the Other Way: Disability in Yemen". Social Development Division - Social Policy Section. United Nations ESCWA. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help); Invalid|ref=harv(help)