Holy See advocates for rights of Internally Displaced Persons with disabilities
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The Holy See’s has called for the protection of the rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), with a particular focus on the vulnerabilities that people with disabilities face in the context of forced displacement.
The Holy’s See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other organizations, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič, made this call during a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“Just like migrants and refugees, IDPs are not mere numbers or statistics: they are human persons, with their personal stories, suffering and aspirations,” Archbishop Jurkovič said. “Unfortunately, IDPs have increasingly become victims of the ‘globalisation of indifference’ which Pope Francis repeatedly denounced.”
VaticanNews reports “recalling Pope Francis’s message for the 106th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Archbishop Jurkovič reiterated the Pope’s concern that the situation of displaced persons has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis.
He pointed out that IDPs with disabilities, in particular, encounter “additional burdens and barriers to accessing specific displacement-related information and humanitarian assistance.” This results in “inequalities and heightened protection risks.”
For this reason, “it is important to consider the diverse needs of IDPs, including those with disabilities so that they may access protection and durable solutions to be fully integrated into society,” the Archbishop said.”
