Why This is Important

Research Background

Children with disabilities represent “one of the most socially excluded groups in any displaced or conflict-affected community, are often hidden in shelters, overlooked during needs assessments, and rarely consulted in the design of humanitarian programs” (Pearce et al., 2015). While little has been documented concerning the actual number of refugees with dis/abilities, estimates of those likely living with a physical, cognitive, or mental health dis/ability about 15% (WHO, 2021) to 50% (Sapmaz et al., 2017). Anecdotal evidence suggests that this percentage is only increasing while at the same time, the overall population of refugees worldwide continues to see exponential growth.

QUICK GLANCE AT THE WORLD REFUGEE SITUATION

• Close to 103 million people around the world have been forcibly displaced as a result of conflict or persecution (UNHCR, 2023).
• Nearly 26.4 million of the displaced are refugees with half of them being under the age of 18 (UNHCR, 2021).
• Millions more people around the world currently have with no official status (stateless) with zero access to basic rights such as education, health care and employment (UNHCR, 2023).
• More than 7 in 10 of all refugees under UNHCR’s mandate and other people in need of international protection come from just five countries.

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2021), approximately 15% of the world's population has a disability.
• However, it is difficult to determine the exact percentage of displaced people who live with a "notable" (visible) disability, as data on disability status among displaced populations is often limited or unreliable (WHO,2021).
• That being said, there is evidence to suggest that the percentage of displaced people who have a disability may be higher than the global average (UNHCR, 2022). For example, a report by the Women's Refugee Commission found that among Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, an estimated 22% of households included a person with a disability (Women's Refugee Commission, 2016) .
• The true number of displaced or refugee children with dis/abilities is unknown.