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In the fog of war, lacking access to shelters and adequate healthcare, people with disabilities are left vulnerable and neglected. Institutionalisation has surged, exposing many to further risk of neglect and abuse. With Ukraine’s strained resources, their situation is likely to worsen read more
 "The ignored plight of people with disabilities in the Russia-Ukraine war")
Accessibility to shelters and lack of healthcare are affecting people with disabilities disproportionately in the Ukraine-Russia war. Reuters
The Ukraine-Russia war has been marked by widespread destruction and human suffering, but amid the chaos, a particularly vulnerable group has been facing extraordinary challenges— people with disabilities.
A recent report by Amnesty International has shed light on their plight, focusing on difficulty in accessing shelters, issues with adequate healthcare, and problems with institutionalisation.
According to the report, both Ukraine and Russia, despite having ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, have failed to adequately protect this vulnerable population.
Accessing shelters a big issue
The physical and logistical barriers created by the war have disproportionately affected people with disabilities, leaving many in dire situations.
“Amnesty International has found that two years since the full-scale invasion, shelters for displaced people in schools, kindergartens, and other public buildings were mostly still totally physically inaccessible to persons with disabilities. Administrators of these structures typically had no plans to make them physically accessible,” the report said. Unprepared and overwhelmed, these administrators have been forced to turn away specially-abled people.
This left them with no choice but to remain in their homes, where they were exposed to higher risks during attacks. The evacuation processes, often hastily arranged, lacked the necessary accommodations for people with disabilities.
Risks of institutionalisation
The war has not only displaced millions but also created an acute housing shortage that has hit people with disabilities particularly hard. Many who were displaced lost their adapted homes and support networks, making it extremely difficult for them to find accessible accommodations.
The institutionalisation of older persons with disabilities has surged since the war began.
In February 2022, the Ukrainian government, partly in response to the mass displacement crisis, simplified the procedure for older persons and persons with disabilities to be admitted to state institutions. According to the Ministry of Social Policy, at least 4,000 older persons with disabilities were placed in state institutions between February and July 2022 alone, the report said. :In 2023, Amnesty International observed that this trend of placing older persons with disabilities in institutional care as a default response to their displacement continued unabated."
Several reports have documented how institutions for persons with disabilities in Ukraine are insufficiently staffed to support people with disabilities, leaving them at greater risk of neglect or abuse.
Situation likely to get worse
The Ukraine-Russia war has starkly revealed the precarious existence of specially-abled people in conflict zones. Despite international conventions and local efforts, the reality on the ground remains dire.
The Ukrainian government, grappling with the immense strain of war, lacks the resources to adequately address the complex needs of this vulnerable population.
As the conflict drags on, the situation for people with disabilities is likely to deteriorate further, with inadequate shelter, insufficient support services, and a failing social care system.
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