The report, ‘We all need dignity’: The exclusion of persons with disabilities in Türkiye’s earthquake response, documents how persons with disabilities are now living in inadequate shelters, with their dignity and right to health undermined by the authorities’ and humanitarian actors’ response to the disaster.

More than 48,000 people were killed and more than 100,000 were injured – many of whom lost limbs and sustained other life-changing injuries – during the powerful earthquakes that struck Türkiye in February 2023.

An estimated 3.3 million people have been displaced, with approximately 2.3m people currently sheltering in tent camps and container settlements. As many as 70 percent of injured earthquake survivors are expected to have a disability, according to a joint Turkish government-UN assessment.

The briefing is primarily based on visits to the following provinces in southern Türkiye: Adiyaman, Gaziantep, Hatay and Kahramanmaras.

A total of 131 interviews were carried out by Amnesty International researchers in March and April 2023 with survivors of the earthquakes, documenting the experiences of 34 people with disabilities (10 women, 15 men, and nine children). Interviewees included 19 people with different types of disabilities, 26 relatives of people with disabilities, and 13 aid workers involved in the response

“The immense hardship faced by so many in the aftermath of the earthquakes has been compounded for people with disabilities, who have been neglected in the humanitarian response,” said Matthew Wells, deputy director – research in Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Programme.

“A ‘one size fits all’ approach to emergency shelter arrangements excludes specific requirements for people with disabilities to live with dignity, and renders many of them unable to access relief on an equal basis.

“The government of Türkiye and humanitarian actors, including international donors, must take immediate action to ensure that the humanitarian response is inclusive for all survivors, including people with disabilities. Their needs must be addressed by providing much-needed specialist support.”