UK campaigners and school students take action for injured and disabled victims of the Syria crisis
London, 30th November 2013. Local campaigners and school students across the UK are calling on the government to ensure that aid reaches the thousands of injured and disabled people affected by the Syrian conflict [1]. From the 1st to 10th December, local clubs, community groups and schools are holding more than 50 events as part of the Forgotten 10 Challenge [2], a UK-wide campaign coordinated by the charity Handicap International.
More than two years after the start of the crisis in Syria, innocent civilians continue to bear the brunt of the violence. Explosive weapons, including cluster munitions, have been used indiscriminately in civilian areas, and will remain a threat long after the conflict ends. More than two million people have fled the country and 4.25 million are internally displaced.
Tom Shelton from Handicap International UK said, “In the midst of the crisis engulfing Syria and surrounding countries, injured and disabled people are in danger of being forgotten and face severe difficulties accessing aid. That’s why tens of thousands of people around the UK are supporting this campaign to make sure aid gets to the most vulnerable people."
Handicap International is helping injured and disabled people in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The organisation fits artificial limbs, provides follow-up care for amputees and rehabilitation for people with injuries that could lead to a permanent disability.
“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 deeply concerned about the tragic consequences that will result from landmines and explosive remnants of war in Syria, and is raising awareness about the risks in order to prevent accidents. According to the Cluster Munition Monitor, almost 90% of cluster munition victims recorded in 2012 were killed or maimed in Syria.
More than 50 Forgotten 10 Challenge events are set to take place around the UK, including exhibitions, talks, and ‘Pyramids of Shoes’, each shoe representing a life or limb lost to a landmine or cluster munition. Thousands of school students are also learning about the issues and leading activities to raise the awareness of their peers. The campaign aims to ensure that the most vulnerable victims of conflicts such as the Syrian crisis are not forgotten.
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Notes to Editors
- The Syria crisis petition can be viewed and signed at: http://www.handicap-international.org.uk/syriapetition
- More information about the Forgotten 10 Challenge and a full list of events is available at www.handicap-international.org.uk/F10
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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