Being Disabled in Gaza: A Situation Assessment in the Context of Problems, Needs and International Organisations
Zehra Erol Karaca, Meryem SerdarThe fact that life in Gaza has been under full blockade since 2007 has created an even more disadvantageous environment for disabled people who cannot participate in society in the necessary way. After October 7, 2023, life in Gaza has become very difficult for people with disabilities. The aim of this study, which focuses on the basic problems and needs of the double disadvantaged disabled people in Gaza through a literature review, is to reveal how valid this situation is for the disabled people in Gaza, which problems the disabled people struggle with in Gaza, what their basic needs are, what are the activities of international organisations for the disabled people in Gaza, and to make predictions about the future of the disabled people in Gaza, despite the fact that international conventions emphasise the disabled as one of the priority groups to be defended. As a result of the findings, it has been observed that although there are international conventions on the rights of the disabled, the disabled in Gaza cannot benefit from these rights, the calls of international organisations are not responded to, and the disabled are left to their fate.
Gazze’de Engelli Olmak: Sorunlar, İhtiyaçlar ve Uluslararası Örgütler Bağlamında Bir Durum Değerlendirmesi
Zehra Erol Karaca, Meryem SerdarEngelliler, toplumsal entegrasyon şansı diğer bireylere göre daha düşük olan dezavantajlı gruplardan biridir. Engelli bireylerin yaşadığı dezavantajlılık durumunun en aza indirgenerek ayrımcılığın önlenmesi ve toplumsal eşitliğin sağlanması amacıyla birçok örgüt kurulmuştur. Bu örgütler öncülüğünde yasal düzeyde bazı hak kazanımları sağlanmaya çalışılmıştır. Gazze’de yaşamın 2007 yılından bugüne tam abluka altında devam etmesi, toplumsal katılımı gerekli şekilde sağlayamayan engelli bireyler için daha da dezavantajlı bir ortam oluşturmuştur. 7 Ekim 2023 sonrasında ise Gazze’deki engelliler için yaşam oldukça zorlaşmıştır. Literatür taraması yoluyla çifte dezavantaja sahip Gazzeli engellilerin temel sorunlarına ve ihtiyaçlarına odaklanan bu çalışmanın amacı, uluslararası sözleşmelerde engellilerin savunulması gereken öncelikli gruplardan biri olarak vurgulanmasına karşılık, Gazze’deki engelliler için bu durumun ne kadar geçerli olduğunu, engellilerin Gazze’de hangi sorunlarla mücadele ettiklerini, temel ihtiyaçlarının neler olduğunu, uluslararası örgütlerin Gazzeli engellilere yönelik çalışmalarının neler olduğunu açığa çıkarmak ve Gazze’deki engellilerin geleceğine ilişkin öngörülerde bulunmaktır. Elde edilen bulgular sonucunda, engelli haklarına ilişkin uluslararası sözleşmeler bulunmasına rağmen Gazze’deki engellilerin bu haklardan yararlanamadığı, uluslararası örgütlerin çağrılarının karşılık bulmadığı, engellilerin kaderine terk edildiği görülmüştür. İnsan hakları söyleminin Gazze söz konusu olduğunda ikircikli bir şekilde uygulandığı sonucuna varılmıştır.
When extraordinary living conditions are combined with the existing limitations of the disabled, a dire picture emerges. For all these reasons, the disabled are included in the priority groups that need to be rescued and protected in conflict situations. There is a requirement in international law to help and protect civilians in conflicts. In cases where sufficient food, water and medical supplies cannot be provided, the delivery of humanitarian aid should be facilitated. Among those who need help in these environments, the most difficult to reach are the disabled, who are isolated from society, have limited mobility, and have difficulty communicating and obtaining information. In addition to the difficulties currently experienced by disabled individuals, the disabled population in Gaza tends to increase every day.
While international organisations submit reports on the situation, they also call for an immediate permanent ceasefire. However, urgent ceasefire calls that do not have sanctions are not being met. The extent to which many international organisations and professional associations established with the discourse of human rights act in accordance with their missions when it comes to non-Western societies has begun to be questioned more around the world after October 7, 2023. These deprivations to which Gaza’s people and particularly disabled individuals are subjected provide a general picture of right violations in a wide range and systematically.
The starting point of this study is to understand the current situation of the disabled people of Gaza, who are under threat of life on the one hand and have a double disadvantage of limited mobility on the other, and to examine their problems. In this context, the main problem of the study can be stated as discovering whether the disabled, who are one of the vulnerable groups, are able to use their basic rights in the conflict environment in Gaza, while they should be protected as a priority in the conflict environment, what the disabled people of Gaza with intersectional disadvantages experience, what international organisations are doing for the disabled in Gaza, and how the future of the disabled people in Gaza will be shaped.
The titles and content of the study were also created in line with this problem in the light of the literature review and current developments. In this context, the study will first include the changing meanings and perspectives of disability throughout the historical process. In this section, a sequence will be followed from the traditional perspective to the human rights model in terms of perspectives on disability. Then, the ontological questioning of living a life that can be constantly monitored under a blockade will be made specifically for Gaza. Afterwards, the responsibilities of international organisations, the problems and basic needs of the disabled people in Gaza during the conflict will be discussed, and then the future of the disabled people in Gaza will be discussed.
Although there are studies on the damage caused by the conflict environment and human rights violations in general due to Gaza being under blockade for many years and being in a conflict environment from time to time, there is no study in the Turkish literature that specifically focuses on the problems experienced by disabled people in Gaza. Therefore, this study aims to contribute to both disability studies and human rights studies by focusing on disabled people in Gaza.
As a result of the political and economic policies implemented by Israel against Gaza under the blockade, restrictions on the mobility of people and goods, as well as discrimination, social exclusion, poverty and unemployment problems have made the lives of disabled people in Gaza even more difficult. In this regard, Human Rights Watch (HRW) (2023a) stated that including comprehensive restrictions on the movement of people and goods significantly affects disabled people. The systematic discrimination of disabled people has resulted in their exclusion from all kinds of economic and social activities. The rights of people with disabilities to live independently, to live a life worthy of human dignity, to employment, education, health and rehabilitation services are systematically violated. The needs of the elderly, the disabled and the patients who cannot leave their homes were not taken into account in Israel’s order to evacuate Northern Gaza (Human Rights Watch, 2024a). In particular, the fact that humanitarian aid does not meet the needs of people with disabilities poses a significant problem. People with disabilities continue to be forgotten victims of armed conflict. The impact of armed conflict on people with disabilities continues to be a subject largely ignored by all actors. There are at least one billion people with disabilities in the world, and a large portion of them live in states affected by the conflict (Priddy, 2019:74).
In the armed conflicts in Gaza, people with disabilities of all ages experience more disadvantages than other population groups. While all this is happening, it is stated that concepts such as “human rights” and “human dignity and value” put forward by international organisations remain as meta-narratives. It is seen that disciplines that position themselves as human rights professions, along with international organisations, have not received the necessary reaction regarding Gaza. In this context, Algan et al. (2024) stated that social work, which is a human rights discipline and profession, has a passive attitude regarding Gaza. They stated that only written statements were made by the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), and that many roles and functions of social work such as advocacy, mediation, activism, community mobilisation and anti-oppression practises were not effective enough. Israel does not consider the situation of disabled individuals in random air strikes and evacuation orders. Despite the existence of international agreements on the rights of disabled people, disabled people in Gaza cannot benefit from these rights, the calls of international organisations are not met, and disabled people are subjected to natural selection. The human rights discourse turns into an ambivalent practise regarding Gaza.
