Zambia: Call for greater protection for disabled refugees

The Anglican Alliance has warned that disabled refugees in Zambia are suffering because of a lack of suitable devices to support them in living.

The development network's relief and programmes manager, Tania Nino, recently visited the Mayukwayukwa camp and found that disabled residents were in need of more security and better prostheses.

"There is an overwhelming need for prostheses and other mobility devices for people who have lost a limb," she said in a report.

"People have rudimentary coping devices that make everyday activities and life difficult."

The report cites one person who packed their boot with mud to act as a replacement for their lost limb.

It also states that many of the physical impairments in the camp are a result of the conflict in Angola and caused mainly by guns or landmines.

Nino found evidence that poor security is contributing to gender-based violence. It tells of one woman with "complex physical disabilities" who has a four-month old baby.

"She is unable to walk, requires round the clock supervision, and can only communicate with her mother," the report states.

"Given the woman's inability to communicate, it has to be assumed that she did not give consent to the sexual relations and the man responsible for this atrocity is unknown."