Fears for future of Jordan's disabled

Najah al-Azzah hopes that her three children - Jameel, 26, Hiba, 24, and 14-year-old Samer - die before her. Not because she hates them, but because she fears for their futures. Azzah knows they would be unable to live without her. The three children have cerebral palsy and need full-time care. They cannot do the most basic things by themselves.

"If something happens to me, how would they cope? It would be a relief for us all if they die before me. I place our fate in God's hands," Azzah told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, looking wistfully at her children.

If something happens to me, how would they cope? - Mother of three disabled children

Jamal is so severely disabled he cannot leave his bed to go to the bathroom. Hiba and Samer's conditions are less severe. They are at least mobile and can crawl like babies, but they still need constant care.

Should she die, Azzah fears they will be admitted to one of the ministry of social development's care centres or a private care centre. The mother recalled a television report from 2012, which documented cases of abuse against disabled people living in shelters and care centres.

King Abdullah of Jordan was shocked when he saw the footage. He ordered the centres mentioned in the report to be closed, those responsible brought to justice, and the establishment of a team to monitor the centres.

Little reassurance

Fawaz Ratrout, spokesperson for the ministry of social development (MoSD), said that legislation governing centres for those with disabilities was undergoing a radical review. However, this is not enough to reassure Azzah.

Every month, the mother of three receives 90 Jordanian dinars, about $110, in financial aid from the National Aid Fund established by the MoSD. However, this is barely enough to meet her family's needs.

For many Jordanians having a family member with a disability is a social stigma, but not for Azzah. "I am not ashamed of my children. I only feel sorrow for them," she said.

In Jordan there is a long list of documented crimes committed against people with disabilities. They are often carried out by family members trying to remove the burden of caring for a disabled relative. In October this year, a disabled woman nearly died after being chained up by her two sisters for several years to stop her leaving the house. 

A similar incident in 2011 saw a disabled girl left to die after being locked in a stable by her siblings.

Preventing pregnancy

One of the worst crimes committed against disabled women is the surgical removal of their uterus. Some relatives make sure disabled female relatives have hysterectomies to prevent "shame" being brought upon their families should they be sexually assaulted and become pregnant.

This continues to happen, despite legislation being passed in 2010 criminalising such behaviour. Jordan's General Fatwa Department also issued a fatwa criminalising such operations. Legislation was passed under pressure from civil society organisations, after unofficial reports revealed 260 hysterectomies had been performed in 2009 and 2010 on women with severe mental disabilities.

Asia Yaghi, president of Ana Insan ["I am a Human"], an association promoting the rights of people with disabilities, says there is no excuse for families to mistreat their disabled relatives. He spoke about the importance of "programmes that promote self-confidence and self-development" for those with disabilities.

Yaghi's beliefs are based on her own life experiences. She has suffered from motor impairment caused by neural spasms since she was two.

"I was surrounded by my family, who supported me and helped me to overcome the restrictions caused by my disability and finish school," she said. "The most important thing is that they were not ashamed of me."

Seeing the suffering of others with disabilities encouraged Yaghi to establish an association to provide support to people with disabilities, and to train their families on strategies for dealing with the challenges they face.

This article is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.