The UN’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that the world’s 1 billion people living with disabilities are among the hardest hit by the coronavirus and called for them to have equal access to prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
He said the pandemic is revealing the extent to which people are marginalized and is intensifying the inequalities that people with disabilities already face, such as poverty and higher rates of violence, neglect and abuse.
His video message was released alongside a UN report that said people with disabilities are estimated to be 15 per cent of the world’s population and 46 per cent of the world’s people who are older than 60. He noted that COVID-19 is often more severe in people with existing health problems, increasing their likelihood of dying.
And the disabled and elderly who live in care homes and institutions are particularly vulnerable since they may face barriers to health care, good hygiene and social distancing. In some countries, Guterres said, decisions on rationing health care are based on discriminatory criteria “such as age or assumptions about quality or value of life, based on disability.”
“We cannot let this continue,” he said. “We must guarantee the equal rights of people with disabilities to access health care and lifesaving procedures during the pandemic.” The report outlined actions to protect people with disabilities from contracting the virus and dealing with the impact of lockdowns, physical distancing and isolation. It called for greater support and political commitment to ensure that people with disabilities “have access to essential services, including to immediate health and social protection services, to tide over the crisis.”
‘Astonishing’ care home death rates
“The share of COVID-19 related deaths in care homes – where older people with disabilities are overrepresented – ranges from 19 per cent to an astonishing 72 per cent”.
Additionally, in some countries, healthcare rationing decisions are based on discriminatory criteria, such as age or assumptions about quality or value of life, based on disability: something which must not be allowed to continue.
“We must guarantee the equal rights of people with disabilities to access healthcare and lifesaving procedures during the pandemic”, he said.
Greater risk of job loss and domestic violence
The COVID-19 pandemic is hitting people with disabilities in other ways.
Mr. Guterres said those who faced employment exclusion before the crisis are now more likely to lose their jobs. They also will experience greater difficulties in returning to work.
Yet, less than 30 per cent of people with significant disabilities have access to benefits. In low-income countries, the number is only one per cent.
Meanwhile, people with disabilities – particularly, women and girls – face a greater risk of domestic violence, which has surged during the pandemic.
Secure rights, promote inclusion
The UN chief urged governments to place people with disabilities at the centre of COVID-19 response and recovery efforts, and to consult and engage with them.
This sector of the population also has valuable experience to offer regarding thriving in situations of isolation and alternate working arrangements.
“When we secure the rights of people with disabilities, we are investing in our common future”, the UN chief said.
Mr. Guterres underlined the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in creating more inclusive and accessible societies.
The Secretary-General added that the UN is doing its part through the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy which he launched last year.
Through the Strategy, the UN system will mainstream disability inclusion across its work, with the aim of achieving transformative and lasting change.
Relatedly, the UN human rights office last week issued a guidance note setting out key actions Governments and stakeholders can take to support people with disabilities during the pandemic.
It also details promising practices already implemented by some countries, such as moving some people with disabilities out of institutional settings to be at home with their families.
