© "Isolation 1, 2, 3, 4" by Gary Murrell
Armed conflicts exacerbate the existing barriers faced by persons with disabilities and expose them to greater harm. International humanitarian law (IHL), the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), alongside other human rights as well as international criminal law instruments have set out, to varying degrees of specific focus, to protect and include persons with disabilities. Have they been successful? How have these legal instruments addressed the various types of disabilities and their intersectionality with other identities in armed conflicts? What are the gaps left in these instruments? How have violations of IHL, the CRPD and other legal instruments protecting persons with disabilities been addressed in the international (and domestic) arena? What should be done to strengthen these protective regimes? How can persons with disabilities themselves contribute to the implementation of these norms?
People with disabilities constitute approximately 15 per cent of the global population and, in the context of crises, there is evidence that the figure increases to between 18 per cent and 30 per cent. And yet, for a topic of such obvious relevance in terms of number of people (in)directly affected, "Persons with Disabilities in Armed Conflicts" have so far remained understudied and persons with disabilities have not participated adequately in these reflections. It is the core ambition of this forthcoming edition of the International Review of the Red Cross to alter the landscape in this regard, through nearly thirty thought-provoking contributions by a wide variety of authors including persons with disabilities themselves, practitioners, academics, officials of countries and international organizations. Jointly they take stock of the legal protections (and lack thereof) for persons with disabilities in armed conflicts, and reflect critically how to move the legal and policy debates forward in the next few years.
This event offers interpretation to international sign language and closed captions.