DAMASCUS (Dispatches) – Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations says the foreign-sponsored conflict coupled with the American and Turkish occupation of areas in northern Syria have led to an alarming rise in the number of people with disabilities in the country.
In an address to the 15th session of the Conference of States Parties (COSP) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on Thursday, Bassam Sabbagh said the years of conflict have had a dramatic impact on the condition of people with disabilities.
The senior envoy blamed the American and Turkish occupation forces for compounding their problems and added that exposure to landmines and unexploded shells left behind by foreign-backed terrorist groups continue to pose grave danger to the lives of ordinary Syrians.
Sabbagh noted that crippling sanctions imposed by Western countries on Syria have also led to a quantitative and qualitative decline in services for disabled people, impeding the Damascus government’s ability to offer educational and medical amenities to the disabled people, including basic needs such as prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs, and medical equipment.
The Syrian diplomat said his country ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009, while stressing that the Syrian law prohibits all forms of discrimination against people with disabilities and that the government is involved in framing disabled-friendly policies and legislations.
Damascus, he hastened to add, has been cooperating with international organizations to support the disabled people, and calls for backing the government’s efforts to help the disabled people lead independent lives and fully participate in all aspects of life.
Syria has been in the grip of foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the U.S., the Zionist regime, and their Western and regional allies have aided terrorist groups that have wreaked havoc in the country over the years.