Nowhere To Go: Internally Displaced People with Disabilities in Ukraine

Executive Summary

As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues, internally displaced people (IDPs) with disabilities face inaccessible shelters, overcrowded facilities, and burdensome bureaucracy. “Nowhere to Go: Internally Displaced People with Disabilities in Ukraine,”  details how people with disabilities in Ukraine are being left without adequate housing, care, or protection. The report draws on dozens of interviews with human rights defenders (HRDs), volunteers, and evacuees, as well as testimony from 20 research trips to Ukraine’s eastern front by Human Rights First since 2022.

Key findings:

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  State-run housing is at full capacity, and applications for disability-related accommodations are impeded by complex bureaucratic processes.
  
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  Most bomb shelters in frontline regions are physically inaccessible to people with mobility challenges. Of Kharkiv’s 30 metro stations, only one is accessible to wheelchair users.
  
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  HRDs estimate that 40% of those evacuated by volunteer teams in Kharkiv have mobility impairments. Evacuation journeys from Russian-occupied areas are dangerous, costly, and often impossible for those with disabilities.
  
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  IDPs with disabilities are often separated from family members or forced into under-resourced institutions due to a lack of accessible options.
  

Recommendations:

The report calls for donors to visit frontline areas to assess the situation for themselves, and to fund local efforts to evacuate and assist civilians with disabilities. It also calls for reform of housing and social service processes, and for authorities to ensure shelters and infrastructure are accessible.