Are there reported instances of stigma, discrimination, harassment and/or violence towards stateless Palestinians with disabilities by Lebanese state actors or the local community?
UNICEF, relying among other sources on a Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) Survey published in 2018 by UNICEF Lebanon and Malmö University, reported in 2022 that:
“The available data indicates that children with disabilities are marginalised in Lebanon. For example, according to a KAP study from 2017, 30 percent of Lebanese respondents believe that children with physical disabilities should not be integrated in society. The percentage is much higher among Syrian respondents (44 percent of Syrians registered with UNHCR and 62 per cent of those in informal settlements) and Palestinian refugees in camps (54 per cent).” (p. 37)
(Source: UNICEF Lebanon, “The situation of children and young people in the Lebanese crisis”, March 2022, p. 37)
Based on a focus group conducted by UNRWA in late 2021, the agency reported in June 2021 that:
“UNRWA is aware of the particular disadvantages faced by disabled Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Palestine refugees with disabilities report facing regular exclusion and discrimination from the community, including when seeking employment even when qualified (for adults), and difficulty in accessing adapted living environments, medical aids and specialist medical treatment (for adults and children). Disability, especially when it intersects with other vulnerability factors such as gender, age, and/or legal status and lack of civil documentation, leaves this group of Palestine refugees even more vulnerable, more marginalized and requiring additional support which is not readily available within the community setting.
Living conditions in the Southern refugee camps in Lebanon also place disabled persons at a disadvantage. Entry to the camps is restricted by Lebanese Armed Forces. This often causes delays in movement. The entry of building materials is also heavily restricted by the Lebanese authorities. Conditions inside the camps are often poor, with over-crowding and overall poor housing. As a result, camps are often not physically accessible for persons with physical impairments with uneven narrow roads, no pavements and often loose electricity cables. This means that persons with physical impairments are usually unable to move independently outside the home, and often physically unsafe. UNRWA funding does not extend to assisting with significant adaptations to private shelters to the needs of persons with disabilities. As mentioned above, the Agency does not administer or manage the Palestine refugee camps in Lebanon, this is the responsibility of the host authority.”
(Source: UNRWA, “Letter from UNRWA to UNHCR in the case of NB and AB v. SSHD before the Court of Justice of the European Union (Case C-349/20).”, 21 June 2021, p. 4-5)
51 Even though this information is not within the research period, it was included since it is pertinent to the prevalence of disabled Palestinians in Lebanon.
A collective of NGOs working with Palestinians in Lebanon made a joint submission to the Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review in 2020 in which they stated among others that:
“13.2. Denying Palestinian refugees with Disabilities from PwD rights
“Palestinian refugees are denied from the rights accorded to Lebanese PwDs, although Law 220/2000 does not exclude Palestinian refugees from its provisions, which mentions ‘persons with disabilities’ and not ‘Lebanese persons with disabilities’.”
(Source : Najdeh Association, Development Action Without Borders (Naba›a), Palestinian Human Rights Organization (PHRO) et al, “UPR 2020: Palestinian Refugee Rights in Lebanon”, July 2020, p. 9)