Why This is Important
Children with dis/abilities are among the most marginalized within displaced or conflict-affected populations and are frequently excluded from humanitarian planning and services. As Pearce et al. (2015) notes, children with dis/abilities represent 鈥�...one of the most socially excluded groups in any displaced or conflict-affected community, are often hidden in shelters, overlooked during needs assessments, and rarely consulted in the design of humanitarian programs.鈥� Although precise data are limited, estimates suggest that between 15% (WHO, 2021) and 50% (Sapmaz et al., 2017) of refugees are likely living with a physical, cognitive, or mental health-related disability. Anecdotal reports further indicate that this proportion is likely rising within the global increase in forcibly displaced populations.
QUICK GLANCE AT THE WORLD REFUGEE SITUATION
- Close to 122.6 million people around the world have been forcibly displaced as a result of conflict or persecution (UNHCR, 2024).
- Nearly 37.9 million of the displaced are refugees with half of them being under the age of 18 (UNHCR, 2024).
- Millions more people around the world currently have with no official status (stateless) with zero access to basic rights such as education, health care and employment (UNHCR, 2023).
- According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2021), approximately 15% of the world's population has a dis/ability.
- However, it is difficult to determine the exact percentage of displaced people who live with a "notable" dis/ability, as data on dis/ability status among displaced populations is often limited or unreliable (WHO, 2021).
- That being said, there is evidence to suggest that the percentage of displaced people who have a dis/ability may be higher than the global average (UNHCR, 2022). For example, a report by the Women's Refugee Commission found that among Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, an estimated 22% of households included a person with a dis\ability (Women's Refugee Commission, 2016) .
- The true number of displaced or refugee children with dis/abilities is unknown.