Ensuring the Rights of Women and Girls with Disabilities in Communities Experiencing Armed Conflict
By Ruth Ketty Kisuza
There is an ongoing armed conflict in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). DRC is one of Africa’s most blessed countries with natural resources. However, it has the highest rates of inequality and poverty for women. The armed conflict is in the headlines almost daily, and a question remains unanswered: what does armed conflict mean for women and girls with disabilities?
It is essential to recognize that any armed conflict in any part of the world always disproportionately affects women and girls, with even worse consequences for women and girls with disabilities. For instance, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that women and girls with disabilities are often among those left behind in countries of origin or transit countries when populations flee conflict. This may be because they are seen as an inconvenience during periods of crisis when everyone is trying to flee. Moreover, environmental barriers often leave them reliant on others for mobility. Additionally, women and girls with disabilities may also be forced to leave behind wheelchairs, medications, assistive aids, and prosthetics. The loss of these aids makes them more vulnerable to gender-based violence, including sexual violence, and also has negative consequences for their health.
I come from Gulu district in Northern Uganda — a district that for long suffered the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency. Women and girls were raped, killed, and others were taken as hostages by the LRA rebels. According to survivor stories of the LRA insurgency in northern Uganda, women, girls, and those with disabilities were considered worthless and paid the ultimate price with their lives.
Growing up, my mother narrated stories of how they survived the LRA war. She told me how my late grandmother — who had arthritis that left her disabled in her lower back and limbs — would hide in the bushes when the LRA rebels attacked in the night and pray to God for protection. At the time, everyone fled to the government-established settlement camps for safety. Why didn’t she go to the camps as well, you ask? Because for less privileged African women like my grandmother, agriculture was their primary source of income and this meant they could not leave the land. My grandmother, like many other women, risked her life for the sake of her children and family.
While watching all the developing stories on the armed conflicts in Eastern DRC and other African countries like Mali, Somalia, and Nigeria, my heart always goes out to all women and children but specifically to women and girls with disabilities in these war-torn communities. How are they coping? What structures and policies are currently in place to protect women and girls with disabilities in war-torn countries?
We must advocate for policies that protect persons with disabilities in communities with armed conflict around the world irrespective of their religious affiliations, race, and sexual orientation. We must ensure the rights of people with disabilities are always protected, particularly in situations of conflict.
To ensure the rights of women and girls in conflict and crises, we must:
— Prioritize women and girls with disability in evacuation efforts,
— Provide accessible information regarding safety measures during conflicts to women and girls with disabilities,
— Ensuring accessibility in shelters and refugee camps, and
— Train humanitarian assistance professionals in disability so that they respect the rights of women and girls with disabilities.
It is equally important to commit to translating policies that integrate both disability and gender mainstreaming into practice. To do this, it is vitally important to support and partner with disabled people’s organizations.
Concerning my late grandmother’s story and experience, I must say that it is heartbreaking that most girls and women living with disabilities in countries with armed conflicts still experience many atrocities because of the non-existent policies and structures to support and protect them.
Going forward, we must channel our efforts to find sustainable solutions that protect the fundamental rights of girls and women with disabilities in all communities, particularly those experiencing armed conflict.
About the author
Ruth Ketty Kisuza (She/her) is a gender equality advocate from Uganda. She is a podcast host for the All Issues Women podcast — a platform for African women and men to share ideas and experiences on different issues affecting women and girls in Africa.
