War disabled the most marginalised in Iraq

IRAQ
War disabled the most marginalised in Iraq
According to a recent study, more than a million people have been disabled on account of the war. The government and civil society are not taking care of them, with serious psychological consequences and tensions within families.


Baghdad (AsiaNews) - More than a million civilians have been disabled by the war in Iraq, and represent the most marginalised sector of society. The psychological traumas they bear create serious imbalances inside their families, and the central government is not paying enough attention to the problem. The denunciation comes from Faris al-Ubeidi, an Iraqi researcher, interviewed by the news agency "Voice of Iraq". Al-Ubeidi explains that the state has the duty of guaranteeing that those who have been disabled by the war, but have professional skills, can still participate productively in the labour force. The problem is that fathers who have been handicapped and are unable to work feel that they are a burden on their families, and this generates psychological problems and tensions.

According to a study conducted by the International Disabled Persons' Organization - in collaboration with the Iraqi ministries of labor, health, and social affairs - out of a population of 26 million inhabitants, after five years of war, over 1 million have been handicapped. Of these, 5,600 are completely disabled, 100,000 have had limbs amputated, another 100,000 have been blinded, and another 250,000 are in danger of losing their vision.