The impact of the war on the rights of people with disabilities in Ukraine: monitoring report

The public association “The League of the Strong” and the Kharkiv regional foundation “Public Alternative” have prepared a monitoring report on the observance of the rights of people with disabilities during the war.

The report mainly uses the guidelines from the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. These guidelines are used to assess the conditions experienced by people with disabilities in Ukraine since February 2022. Information from public sources and reports from international and Ukrainian civil society organizations has been considered.

The research covers several key areas, including the rights of women and children with disabilities, situations of risk and humanitarian crisis, accessibility, equality before the law and access to justice, freedom of movement and citizenship, the right to education, the right to work, and an adequate standard of living and social protection.

In the report, the main challenges and violations of the rights of people with disabilities are identified:

  • Inaccessibility is a problem in multiple areas: there is a lack of accessibility in shelters for people with limited mobility, modular housing for internally displaced persons is not readily available, and there are barriers in accessing information.
  • According to WHO estimates, every fifth Ukrainian cannot access medical care, and this figure is even higher in areas of active combat. However, neither full-scale war nor the occupation of regions has changed the approach to managing institutions providing inpatient care for people with disabilities.
  • Children with disabilities face difficulties in accessing education, as distance learning does not meet their needs.
  • Parents of children with disabilities who were forced to leave their place of residence have faced difficulties in accessing rehabilitation services.
  • The evacuation of people with disabilities is a critical issue that requires regulation and standardization at both national and regional levels. 

The report provides a general overview of the scale of the issue and will serve as a basis for further advocacy for the rights of people with disabilities in Ukraine. Currently, the document is available in English for use in international advocacy.

In particular, the report will serve as a basis for work on promoting reforms in Ukraine in the process of joining the European Union and harmonizing Ukrainian legislation with European approaches, as well as in preparation for the upcoming Session of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

This document was produced by the Public Union “League of Strong” and the KRF “Public Alternative” as part of the programme ‘Ukraine war: Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPD) led disability inclusive response and recovery’, which is in collaboration with the European Disability Forum (EDF). Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Disability Forum (EDF) and other funders. The Public Union “League of Strong” and the KRF “Public Alternative” have all ownership and editorial control of the content in this document. Read more about EDF work in Ukraine on the EDF website.

To receive the full text of the study