The Invisible Legacy of the Syrian Conflict: Syrian Government Calls Attention to Disability.

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Syria's Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Hind Kabawat, spoke during the 19th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP19) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, calling on international partners to increase support for programs dedicated to the rights and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities in Syria.

The minister drew international attention to the critical issue of the failure to implement programs aimed at both physical rehabilitation and the social inclusion of persons with disabilities. Specifically, Kabawat requested targeted international support in three priority areas: infrastructure rehabilitation, psychosocial support, and inclusive education.

In Syria, disability is not a marginal issue, but rather an integral part of the humanitarian and recovery context characterizing the country today. Among the various aftermaths of the war that has ravaged an entire country for 14 years, the country's invisible legacy specifically concerns disabilities caused by the war, including injuries resulting from airstrikes, explosive devices, chemical attacks, and landmines, which currently affect approximately 1.5 million Syrians, accompanied by the inability of the country and humanitarian support to protect the rights of those affected. 

Indeed, humanitarian operations themselves have largely failed in their attempts to integrate and support children and adults with disabilities, due both to a lack of funds and a lack of preparation.

Approximately three million Syrians have been injured and nearly half live with permanent impairments. Explosive ordnance contamination affects 15.4 million people at immediate risk of death or injury, fueling a continuous influx of new disabilities. Emergency assistance and post-operative rehabilitation remain largely insufficient within an already fragile and overloaded health system, long characterized by a near-total collapse of infrastructure. Nearly 74% of persons with disabilities in Syria are unable to cover their family's financial needs, and access to assistive devices is severely limited. 

On a regulatory level, despite the country having ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009, the gap between formal commitment and the lived reality of persons with disabilities remains profound. Although at an official level the issue of disability is conceived as a priority in terms of rights and social inclusion, the daily life of persons with disabilities remains fraught with difficulties. There are high levels of marginalization, high rates of social exclusion, and obstacles in accessing the workforce. The lack of healthcare and architectural barriers due to underdeveloped infrastructure effectively condemn them to often isolated lives. Many children continue to lack access to education, and only a few manage to access  rehabilitative care. 

Minister Kabawat's speech drew attention back to the need for support from the international community and emphasized that «achieving social protection and assistance for vulnerable people, persons with disabilities, and women, together with strengthening civil peace and social cohesion, are among the highest priorities of the Ministry in its strategy for the next phase». The Syrian Disability Movement handed the minister a dossier of concrete demands, «which go beyond public discourse—from the right to health, education, work, social protection, and political participation—recalling that with an estimated 28% of persons with disabilities, the issue cannot be marginal in any reconstruction agenda». 

The new Syrian government should now make a solid commitment by developing a national disability strategy with concrete timelines, ensuring that schools are accessible, teachers are trained, and disability inclusion is integrated into new civil protection and emergency structures. Alongside a shift in mindset, there is a vital need for an intervention that combines physical rehabilitation, psychological support, social protection, and economic inclusion.

On the other hand, UN agencies, which for a long time have largely failed in the processes of disability integration and support, should now ensure that disability inclusion is integrated into reconstruction planning and commit to collecting disaggregated data on persons with disabilities, so that gaps in aid distribution are visible and monitorable.

Ultimately, Syria's recovery will be sustainable only if the policies, systems, and services shaping it are designed with the effective participation of persons with disabilities and respond to their rights, needs, and priorities. In view of real change, international partners will need to respond positively to Kabawat's requests by making available resources that the new Syrian government must utilize by implementing solid policies.

written by Costanza Luciani