Injured and disabled people forgotten in ‘highly disabling’ Syria crisis

London, 3rd December 2013. Injured and disabled people are struggling to access the aid they need more than two and a half years after the start of the Syrian crisis, according to the charity Handicap International. Today, on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the organisation has called the crisis ‘highly disabling’ and said that more needs to be done to reach the most vulnerable people.

“There's a huge ratio of injuries leading to amputation,” said Thierry-Mehdi Benlahsen, Handicap International’s emergency co-ordinator for Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan. “And there's a huge ratio of spinal cord injuries, generally related to gunshots or shelling. It’s approximately double what we are used to seeing in other crises. It’s a highly disabling crisis.” 

Handicap International is helping injured and disabled people in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The organisation fits artificial limbs, and provides mobility aids and rehabilitation for people with injuries that could lead to a permanent disability. It is also working to make sure people with disabilities receive the specific support they need and are included in the mainstream aid effort. 

Aleema Shivji from Handicap International UK said, “In the midst of the Syrian crisis, injured and disabled people are in danger of being forgotten and face severe difficulties accessing aid. It’s hard enough fleeing your home and ending up living as a refugee in very difficult conditions, so imagine the situation if you are injured or disabled. Without the right support, many disabled people end up isolated, confined to their tent or apartment, and unable to do basic things like get to the bathroom or even go outside.”

Handicap International is also deeply concerned about the consequences that will result from landmines and explosive remnants of war in Syria, and is educating civilians about the risks in order to prevent accidents. Explosive weapons, including cluster munitions, have been used indiscriminately in civilian areas, and will remain a threat long after the conflict ends. According to the Cluster Munition Monitor, almost 90% of cluster munition victims recorded in 2012 were killed or maimed in Syria.

From the 1st to 10th December, local clubs, community groups and schools across the UK are holding more than 50 events to raise awareness as part of the Forgotten 10 Challenge, a campaign coordinated by Handicap International. Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition calling on the UK government to ensure that aid reaches the thousands of injured and disabled people affected by the Syrian conflict.  

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Notes to Editors

• More information about the Forgotten 10 Challenge and a full list of events is available at www.handicap-international.org.uk/F10
• The Syria crisis petition can be viewed and signed at: http://www.handicap-international.org.uk/syriapetition
• The 3rd December is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The 3rd December 2013 marks 16 years since the Mine Ban Treaty was signed and five years since the Convention on Cluster Munitions was signed. Despite the significant progress these treaties have delivered, people in 80 countries and territories are still living with the threat from these weapons.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Tom Shelton, Handicap International UK                  
Email: tom.shelton@hi-uk.org
Mob: 44 (0)7508 810 520
Tel: 44 (0)870 774 3737

Please contact for photos, case studies and interviews.

About Handicap International

Handicap International is a charity working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster in 60 countries worldwide. Its activities include clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance, educating communities about the risks, supporting survivors by providing artificial limbs and rehabilitation, and campaigning for their rights.

Handicap International is a co-laureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize and a founding member of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and the Cluster Munition Coalition. www.handicap-international.org.uk

About the Forgotten 10 Challenge

The Forgotten 10 Challenge is ten days of action from 1st to 10th December to raise awareness about the forgotten victims of landmines and cluster munitions. These weapons are a significant cause of disability, trapping communities across the world in fear, deepening poverty and acting as a lethal barrier to development. www.handicap-international.org.uk/F10

The 3rd December is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The 3rd December 2013 marks 16 years since the Mine Ban Treaty was signed and five years since the Convention on Cluster Munitions was signed. Despite the significant progress these treaties have delivered, people in 80 countries and territories are still living with the threat from these weapons.

This campaign has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this campaign are the sole responsibility of Handicap International UK and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.

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