Terms
of Reference
Estimates indicate that anywhere between 5 and 10 percent of the Syrian population are
persons with disabilities (2008). Conflict situations
increase the vulnerability of persons possessing already a disability and raise
the number of newly disabled persons. That happens indirectly by breakdown of
social structures and services like family links and health and other
infrastructures the persons with disabilities rely on, and directly by
casualties caused by weapons, mines, bombs and other explosives.
The Syrian military operations against the Syrian
people represents a grave breach of the Geneva conventions of 1949, according
to international humanitarian and human rights agencies; these include the use
of banned arms against civilian targets and in densely populated areas;
extensive destruction of the civil property including hospitals, schools,
places of worship and the people’s homes while they are still in them without
prior warning.
According to conservative estimates, the Syrian
upraising has resulted in over 29,338 people killed. These include 2,230
children, 2,517 woman and over 1500 elderly people, the number of wounded has
exceeded 63,400.[1] Many of the wounded will most certainly be
left with permanent and life-long disabilities. Additionally, there is no
information about the persons with disabilities in Syria, the difficulties they
faced during the constant bombardment in an area where there are few shelters
for those without disabilities let alone safe havens accessible to persons who
are disabled.
The Syrian military operations against the Syrian
people during upraising generated thousands of casualties (63,400)[2] August 2012, although there are no clear
statistics for the number of persons left disabled because of the military
operations in Syria, but casualties caused by gunshot, bombs and other
explosives increased the number of persons with disability . The Syrian
authorities’ war against the people of Syria has caused long-term and,
permanent disabilities in large segments of the Syrian population. Furthermore, civilians wounded in protests or
other incidents related to the uprising as documented by Amnesty International
and Doctors Without Borders include, denial of medical care; obstruction of
ambulances on their way to pick up wounded people; lack of basic medical
supplies; in addition to torture in detention places. [3]&
[4]
The unjustified blockade and the present military
operation against the people of Syria have had a devastating impact in
particular on persons with disabilities and their related services. Emergency
services in Syria are limited now and for the most part inaccessible which have
resulted and will continue to result in serious threats to persons with
disabilities.
Many of those who were injured during the military
operations sustained permanent disabilities owing to the severity of their
injuries and/or the lack of adequate and timely medical attention and rehabilitation. Syrian hospitals reportedly had to discharge
patients too early so as to handle incoming emergencies. Many injuries cases resulted in amputations
or disfigurement. Many injured persons are expected to have long-term
disabilities. (e.g. brain injuries, amputations, spinal injuries, hearing
deficiencies, mental health problems) as a result of the military operations.
It reported speculations that there might be some hundred cases of amputees;
while the exact number of people who will suffer permanent disabilities is
still unknown. We understands that many persons who sustained traumatic
injuries during the conflict still face the risk of permanent disability owing
to complications and inadequate follow-up and physical rehabilitation.
Many persons with disabilities were wounded fighting
for freedom and dignity, and we have to provide them with the dignity they were
fighting for. We need urgent action to
start immediately assessing the implication of military operations on
disability during the Syrian upraising with the aim of gaining knowledge and
information on the living conditions of persons with disability and their need
for rehabilitation.
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities, 2006, (which was ratified by Syrian Government in 2008)
determines that all necessary measures to ensure protection and safety for
persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including situations of armed
conflict …“have to be taken. The rights of persons with disability need to be
protected in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, , the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Up to this date, there are no studies,
research or any kind of information on injured persons and persons with
disabilities as a result to the military operation in Syria. Urgent efforts needed to address the needs
of persons with disabilities and their
families with the aims of mainstreaming rehabilitation programmes in all
planned emergency and humanitarian programmes that will be implemented by the UN and other international NGOs.
Primary
objective:
1- To collect appropriate information,
including research data on persons with disabilities during the uprising in
Syria to enable UN agencies and international and national organizations to
provide emergency rehabilitation programme for persons with disabilities in
Syria.
Secondary
Objectives
1-
To investigate the causes of disability in Syria
during the uprising, using the two studies and testimonies prepared on the
Health situation in Syria prepared by Amnesty International and Doctors Without
Borders as a baseline information, more
specifically:
· preventing ambulances
to rescue injured people by armed and security forces;
· denial of medical care
and treatment and violence at the hospitals;
· Torture and denial of
medical care at detention facilities.
· Lack of rehabilitation services and emergency
assistance for people with disability
2-
Assessing economic, social and psychological impact of
depriving persons with disabilities from rehabilitation, emergency and
humanitarian services during the upraising;
3-
Needs assessment for the rehabilitation and emergency
for persons with disabilities in Syria;
4-
Help in mobilizing resources for the Coordination
Committees, NGOs ,and Field Hospitals, to provide rehabilitation services to
persons with disabilities (surgeries, rehabilitation equipment, Prosthetic
devices, and other operation expenses);
5-
Public awareness on disability issues with the aim
highlighting their needs and
mainstreaming services of persons with disabilities in all programmes
and activities.
Methodology
• A questionnaire (Annex 1) will be posted
on all websites related to the Syrian Revolution in order to collect the needed
information on the causes of disability and the rehabilitation services needed.
• The questionnaire will be sent to all
coordination committees, medical committees, field hospitals, NGOs, and health committee at the refugee camps
• Focus groups with medical and
rehabilitation team, health and social workers and volunteers working to
support injured and persons with disabilities on the causes of disability and
the rehabilitation programmes needed.
• Analysis of the causes of disability
during the military attack on Syrian people, and the need for rehabilitation
programme will be conducted by a group of experts with the aim of preparing an
analytical report, including findings and recommendations.
• A workshop will be organized to discuss
the findings of the report.with the team members
• The report will be distributed to all UN
agencies and organizations concerned with disability rights, humanitarian and
relief agencies in order to mainstream services for persons with disability in
their humanitarian programmes for Syria, and start planning for rehabilitation
programmes.
• An awareness campaign on the rights of persons with disabilities will
be conducted throughout all the period to highlight the needs for rehabilitation
and accessibility.
Timeframe
1 September – 30
October 2012: Posting and distribution
of questionnaire
November 2012:
preparing the study and organizing the workshop
December 2012:
finalizing and distributing the study.
The
Study Team:
- Team Leader:
- Principle researcher:
- Team members:
- Field investigators:
Appendix
Annex: 1
QUESTIONNAIRE
PERSONS
WITH DISABILITIES IN SYRIA
Section 1:
Basic Information
Name of the
Respondent:……………………………………………………………….
Region……………………………………… Urban………… Rural……………………..
Date of
Interview: …………………..
I declare
hereby the information collected is true and accurate and these are collected
in line with the instruction.
Name of
Interviewer:………………………………………
Signature of Interviewer:
Name of
Supervisor :………………………………………
Signature of
Supervisor:
|
Type of
disability:
1. Hearing impairment …………………....
2. Speech Impairment ……………………….
3. Visual Impairment ………………………..
4. Physical impairment ………………………
5. Intellectual Disability ……………………..
6. Psychological problems
7. Multiple Disability (if one have more than
one Impairment)
8. Others (specify) ………………………..
9. Not applicable ………………………….
Section 2:
CAUSES OF DISABILITY
• gunshot
·
bombs
·
other explosives
·
wounded in protests
·
other incidents related to the uprising
·
house demolition
·
airplane attack
·
accidents during escape
·
others
• Preventing
ambulances to rescue injured people by armed and security forces
o Availability of ambulance
o Ambulance allowed to reach hospital
o Ambulance have medical personnel
o Others
• Denial
of medical care and treatment and violence at the hospitals
o Medical care provided
o Patient dismissed without treatment
o Patient was treated with violence
o Patient was punished
• Patient treated at “Field Hospital”
o Field hospital have facilities (beds, medical supplies, etc)
o Field
hospital have medical personnel (doctors, nurses, volunteers)
o Field hospital have capacity for
surgeries
o Difficulties to reach field hospital
• Torture and denial of medical care at
detention facilities
o Security forces prevented medical
treatment
o Patient had a health problem
o Patient was tortured
o Medical treatment denied
Section 3: REHABILITATION
SERVICES NEEDED BY PERSONS WITH DISABILTIES
o Did
the PwD have the necessary rehabilitation equipment (wheelchair, crutches,
hearing aids, eye glasses, etc.)
o The
equipment provided by (Field hospital,
registered NGO, volunteers, Red
Crescent, Medical committee, etc)
o Did the PwD have any kind of rehabilitation services:
o Physical treatment
o Psychological help
o Social support
o Humanitarian/ emergency assistance
o Others
Individual
needs for PwD
o The need for surgery, please provide details.
o The need for special treatment, please provide details:
o The need for prosthetic devices:
o Leg
amputees
o Arm amputees
o Other needs
Section 4:
LIVING CONDITONS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
• Accommodation
o Lives with parents
o Lives with other members of family
o Lives with friends
o Lives with other, specify
• Transportation
o Public transport (bus, taxi, etc)
o Family support
o Do not have the ability to move
• Living expenses
o Family support
o Friends and neighbors
o Charitable support form NGOs
o Humanitarian assistance from Red Crescent
o Humanitarian assistance form
international organizations
o Others
• Cost of health care
o Provided free by public hospital
o Private health center
o Field hospital
o Others
• Independence
• PwD in need of assistant all the time
• Partially independence
• Independent
• Social life
o Married
o Single
o Friends
o Others
• Other issues needs to be considered
related to the PwD.
[1] Network for Solidarity with Syrian People, 31 August 2012.
https://www.facebook.com/Solidarity.Network.For.Syrian.Revolution
[2] Network for Solidarity with Syrian People, 31 August 2012.
https://www.facebook.com/Solidarity.Network.For.Syrian.Revolution
[3] Amnesty International, Health crisis: Syrian government targets the
wounded and health workers, 2011. This
report is based on research conducted in August and September 2011. Interviews
were conducted with individuals wounded during the ongoing disturbances;
relatives of those wounded and subsequently detained; relatives of people with
firearm and other injuries related to the ongoing unrest; and health
professionals and medics, including surgeons, doctors, nurses and other
hospital employees. Government surveillance and restrictions on means of
communication, and the poor quality of the internet connection in Syria were
among the obstacles to research.
[4] Doctors Without Borders, SYRIA: Medicine as a Weapon of
Persecution: These testimonies from injured people and doctors from across
Syria were collected by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
staff between January 30 and February 6, 2012.
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