Responses to young children in post-emergency situations
Responses to young children in post-emergency situations
Responses to young children in post-emergency situations
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human rights watchers and decision-makers from<br />
cacd programmes fully understand the negative<br />
implications of conflict for disabled <strong>children</strong> and<br />
their families. Further research, moni<strong>to</strong>r<strong>in</strong>g of the<br />
violation of rights, and development of practical<br />
<strong>to</strong>ols for conflict <strong>situations</strong> is necessary. At the<br />
moment, it is as though disabled <strong>children</strong> are<br />
<strong>in</strong>visible: they are not consulted <strong>in</strong> programme<br />
development and are not considered <strong>in</strong> cacd and<br />
<strong>post</strong>-conflict development programmes. As a result<br />
the cycle of poverty and exclusion deepens for<br />
disabled <strong>children</strong> and their families.<br />
References<br />
Cordaid. 2004. TV documentary on the situation of<br />
<strong>children</strong> <strong>in</strong> conflict. Netherlands: Nederlandse Omroep<br />
Sticht<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Deverson. 2002. Disability, conflict and <strong>children</strong>:<br />
Remov<strong>in</strong>g the barriers. MSc Dissertation <strong>in</strong><br />
Development Studies. uk: University of London<br />
dfid. 2000. Disability, poverty and development. uk:<br />
Department for International Development<br />
iddc. 2000. Disability and conflict. Draft report of a<br />
sem<strong>in</strong>ar, May 29–June 2. Cyprus: International Disability<br />
and Development Consortium<br />
Lansdown, G. 2001. It is our world <strong>to</strong>o! A report on the<br />
lives of disabled <strong>children</strong> for the un General Assembly<br />
Special Session of Children. uk: Disability Awareness <strong>in</strong><br />
Action<br />
Leach, T. 1990. Disabled refugees: Report of an enquiry<br />
<strong>in</strong><strong>to</strong> the situation of disabled Sudanese refugees <strong>in</strong><br />
Uganda. uk: Action on Disability and Development<br />
Machel, G. 2001. The impact of war on <strong>children</strong>: A review<br />
of progress s<strong>in</strong>ce the 1996 Report on the Impact of<br />
Armed Conflict on Children. uk: Hurst and Company<br />
Save the Children Norway. 2005. Global evaluation:<br />
Children affected by armed conflict, displacem<br />
ent or disaster. <br />
SC Alliance. 1997. Promot<strong>in</strong>g psychosocial well-be<strong>in</strong>g<br />
among <strong>children</strong> affected by armed conflict <strong>in</strong> <strong>emergency</strong><br />
<strong>situations</strong>. Sweden: SC Alliance<br />
un. 1982. World program of action concern<strong>in</strong>g disabled<br />
persons. United Nations. <br />
un. 1994. Standard rules on the equalisation of<br />
opportunities for persons with disabilities. New York:<br />
United Nations<br />
un. 1989. Convention on the Rights of the Child. United<br />
Nations. <br />
un. 2002. The un and persons with disabilities. United<br />
Nations. <br />
unhcr. 1999. Protect<strong>in</strong>g refugees: A field guide for ngos.<br />
Geneva: United Nations High Commission for Refugees<br />
Notes<br />
1 Conflict <strong>in</strong> this article is def<strong>in</strong>ed as armed battle and<br />
political violence <strong>in</strong> the public sphere, it does not relate<br />
<strong>to</strong> domestic conflict. It covers acute conflict and the<br />
<strong>situations</strong> immediately before and after war, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>in</strong>ternal displacement and refugee <strong>situations</strong>.<br />
2 Disability <strong>in</strong> this article is based on the def<strong>in</strong>ition of<br />
Disabled People International (dpi): ‘the disadvantage<br />
or restriction of activity caused by contemporary social<br />
organisation which takes little or no account of people<br />
who have impairments and thus excludes them from<br />
the ma<strong>in</strong>stream of social activities’. An additional note<br />
from the author: impairments relate <strong>to</strong> the full scope of<br />
visual, hear<strong>in</strong>g, mo<strong>to</strong>r, learn<strong>in</strong>g and/or psychological<br />
conditions <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g conflict-related psychosocial<br />
trauma.<br />
3 The work<strong>in</strong>g def<strong>in</strong>ition is “the comprehensive<br />
and <strong>in</strong>tegral <strong>in</strong>ternational convention <strong>to</strong> promote<br />
and protect the rights and dignity of persons with<br />
disabilities” .<br />
4 ihls relat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> disabled <strong>children</strong> <strong>in</strong> conflict: (1948)<br />
un Declaration of Human Rights; (1949) un Geneva<br />
Convention; (1951) un Convention on the Status of<br />
Refugees; (1966) International Covenant on Civil and<br />
Political Rights; (1984) Convention aga<strong>in</strong>st Torture and<br />
Other Cruel, Inhumane and Degrad<strong>in</strong>g Treatment or<br />
Punishment; (1997) Convention on the Prohibition of<br />
the Use, S<strong>to</strong>ckpil<strong>in</strong>g, Production and Transfer of Antipersonnel<br />
M<strong>in</strong>es and on Their Destruction.<br />
5 Based on experiences of the author <strong>in</strong> various countries<br />
<strong>in</strong> Asia, Africa and Europe.<br />
6 It is often assumed that families leave their disabled<br />
<strong>children</strong> beh<strong>in</strong>d dur<strong>in</strong>g displacement, but research has<br />
proven that families usually carry all their <strong>children</strong> <strong>to</strong><br />
safety (Leach, 1990).<br />
7 S<strong>to</strong>ry of Shafqat, <strong>to</strong>ld <strong>to</strong> the author when he arrived<br />
<strong>in</strong> 1987 <strong>in</strong> Bait ul Tabassum a community-based<br />
rehabilitation (cbr) project for disabled <strong>children</strong> <strong>in</strong><br />
Karachi, Pakistan.<br />
8 S<strong>to</strong>ry of Sohail from a Pathan family, <strong>to</strong>ld <strong>to</strong> the author<br />
<strong>in</strong> 1988 at Bait ul Tabassum, a cbr project for disabled<br />
<strong>children</strong> <strong>in</strong> Karachi, Pakistan.<br />
B e r n a r d v a n L e e r Fo u n d a t i o n 59 E a r l y C h i l d h o o d M a t t e r s • Ju l y 2 0 0 5