Amnesty International (AI) released a report Thursday detailing how people with disabilities have been overlooked in displacement camps throughout Turkey following devastating earthquakes which rocked the country in February.
Following these earthquakes, over 100,000 people were injured, with many of them losing limbs or experiencing other life-changing injuries. An estimated 3.3 million people have been displaced, with approximately 2.3 million people being housed in tents in displacement camps throughout Turkey. According to a joint assessment by Turkey and the UN, about 70% of this 2.3 million are reported to have a disability.
According to the report, the displacement camps are each failing to appropriately consider the varying needs of people with disabilities, especially in their approach to resettlement. Matthew Wells, the deputy director of research in AI’s Crisis Response Program condemned this approach. Wells stated that “A ‘one size fits all’ approach to emergency shelter arrangements excludes specific requirements for people with disabilities to live with dignity, and renders many of them unable to access relief on an equal basis.”
The report cited specific examples of displacement camp residents with disabilities being unable to access basic necessities like sanitation, food, or basic healthcare. The report highlighted how Turkey is a state party to the Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities, and called on the Turkish government to live up to their commitments under that agreement. Specific calls the report made included increased technical assistance for people with disabilities to ensure they are able to access basic resources, increased medical supplies focused on treating people with disabilities, and increased financial assistance to displaced people with disabilities to ensure that their human rights are preserved.
The report concluded with a plea for the Turkish government and international donors to prioritize the needs of disabled survivors of the earthquake, and to focus more efforts on bringing displacement camps into compliance with the Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities.