3 December, International Day of Persons with Disabilities – persons with disabilities account for 16% of the global population. Inevitably, that figure rises during armed conflict as the physical and mental shocks of conflict lead to severe injuries, amputations, and psychological trauma. Often overlooked, however, are people who have been living with disabilities long before they are exposed to greater harm during wartime.
Narmeen lives with a disability, but not as a result of war. Aged one, a catastrophic blood clot in her brain caused her to develop cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy is a lifelong condition that affects movement and coordination and is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the brain as it develops. Symptoms vary significantly by degree, but Narmeen’s case is severe – for the last twelve years, she has been completely mute and unable to move.
She was admitted to the UK-Med field hospital in Al Mawasi to receive treatment for acute tonsilitis. She was unable to eat solid food. Thin and gaunt, she laid on the hospital bed as her mother, Nariman, held her tiny hand in her palm. Like many children in the Gaza Strip, Narmeen was severely malnourished. At 13 years old she weighed as much as an 18-month-old toddler.
“Narmeen has lost a lot of weight since the start of the war. Her nutrition is terrible: there is no food, and everything on the market is expensive. Being so small and weak has definitely impacted her health,” her mother said.
“Biscuits, bread, tea and milk are the only things we can afford, so I cut the bread into tiny pieces and mix it with milk so Narmeen can eat. That’s all I can give her – there is nothing else.”
Narmeen’s legs were stiff and narrow; the muscle tissue was beginning to waste away. Particularly during conflict, children with disabilities are at greater risk of malnutrition and related complications such as muscular atrophy and stunted growth.
“She doesn’t have a wheelchair anymore, so I carry her everywhere. If she cries, I sit her on the beach to see the people and watch the ocean.” Tears began to well in Nariman’s eyes.
“All I want is for my daughter to be like other children: to be able to walk and play and have a normal life.”
Before the outbreak of war, nearly 100,000 children in the Gaza Strip had a disability. Uprooted and forced to flee their homes on the back of donkey carts or carried by their families, they have endured unimaginable hardship.
Now, in Gaza’s sprawling shanty town of tents and lean-tos, thousands of children with disabilities are without the critical assistive tools – wheelchairs, crutches, and walking frames – needed to be mobile, limiting their access to food and healthcare. Theirs is a hidden tragedy: the unseen and unheard victims of war.
Narmeen has only her mother’s voice to speak for her. One can only wonder – if she could talk, what would she have to tell us?
