COVID-19 and the push for a more inclusive Sri Lanka

The decades-long civil conflict in Sri Lanka left thousands of those who had been injured with disabilities. UNFPA works with government partners to ensure health and education systems are inclusive and accessible. During the pandemic, this solid foundation of services has been adapted to deliver targeted support to this uniquely vulnerable group.

For Sarah Soysa and her colleagues, who work on disability rights at UNFPA Sri Lanka, the pandemic response is an expansion of a network of support that has already been developed. Partnerships have been built over 20 years to help those injured in the conflict.

“Disabilities became a huge issue in Sri Lanka because of the 30-year conflict,” she says. “We had a lot of landmines and loss of limbs, so it was a concern when the conflict ended.”

“We had a lot of landmines and loss of limbs, so it was a concern when the conflict ended.”

Sarah acknowledges that, in working with people with disabilities, the issue that has lingered over time stems from misunderstanding of their ability and skills. “Sri Lankans have lots of myths and misconceptions when it comes to disability,” she says.

Part of UNFPA’s work has been to dispel misconceptions by advocating for strong community networks that can support people with specially adapted services.

“Sri Lankans have lots of myths and misconceptions when it comes to disability.”

Years of case identification and needs mapping have resulted from an active disability alliance in Sri Lanka. Sarah says that a long-term approach, including, for example, coordinating the revision of the Sri Lankan sign language glossary on sexual and reproductive health needs for people with hearing disabilities, will lead to tangible change.

“They have the same sign for sexual intercourse and rape,” Sarah explains. “So it is quite confusing. We are looking at strengthening capacities and working closely with civil society organizations, service providers and people living with hearing disabilities.”

She says that people with disabilities are more vulnerable to sexual and gender-based violence, so it’s critical that they and community health workers are able to clearly understand sensitive terms and agreed signs.

Despite the foundation of community groups and services that is in place, COVID-19 intensified isolation and made it harder for services to operate, increasing people’s vulnerability. UNFPA Sri Lanka is using emergency funds to meet the needs of people with disabilities during the pandemic.

“We are providing dignity kits to LGBTQI populations, sex workers and people living with disability,” Sarah says. Dignity kits are delivered to community organizations, which take the supplies directly to the homes of those who need them. “You have to take it to their doorstep because accessibility is a huge factor,” explains Sarah.

“You have to take it to their doorstep because accessibility is a huge factor,”

As in other countries, the kits are the first step in a conversation about additional services and referrals. “In every kit, we provide information and referrals,” she says, “whether it’s around gender-based violence, how to get more information on sexual and reproductive health or even information on cyber-exploitation.” These public health messages provided in the adapted kits helped people to address their urgent needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Early on in the crisis, Sarah and her colleagues began to hear reports about violence. “We realized, just like in other parts of the world, a shadow pandemic was looming. Numbers started to come out through some of our partners and also from first responders at the A&E services, which immediately led the UNFPA team to reach out to both the health and social sectors of the Government via the Ministry of Health and the State Ministry of Women and Child Affairs to scale up our support.”

Sarah’s colleague Sharika Cooray, the humanitarian focal point, initiated discussions with government ministries and managed to open a hotline. Where infrastructure was missing, UNFPA was able to bridge the gap. “Initially, people were working from home and the call response system was not accessible remotely,” she says. Through close consultation, UNFPA identified the barriers to getting the system going. “We provided the phones for them, and equipped the government with the tools to expand the hotline services and operate during lockdown.”

Sarah says that once the lines were opened the calls started coming in, creating new problems such as how to reach the caller with support. “We were in a lockdown situation where some areas were totally isolated,” she recalls.

“We provided the phones for them, and equipped the government with the tools to expand the hotline services and operate during lockdown.”

Like other countries, Sri Lanka has had multiple waves of the virus and each new restriction makes it even harder for people with disabilities to access basic services. “Last month, a whole area of the country was completely locked down,” says Sarah. “People with disabilities and those with intellectual disabilities in those areas are probably not living alone, and the lockdowns can impact the whole household.”

The sudden restrictions can leave vulnerable people without support, which can have tragic consequences. “There was an incident where the mother was diagnosed with COVID-19 and she was taken to quarantine,” Sarah says. “Then we found out that her child who was disabled had committed suicide on his own.”

Although it has resulted in tragedies such as this, Sarah says that the pandemic has allowed her and her colleagues to make a case for specialized support for people with disabilities and strengthen the existing systems. She admits that there is a long way to go. “We are trying to change the whole understanding of disabilities,” she says. “Parents tend to think, ‘I have a disabled child, so I need to make sure that my child is looked after.’ ” Sarah says that this attitude limits opportunities for people with disabilities: “Independent living is not seen as something that a person with disabilities needs to be empowered or prepared for.”

“Independent living is not seen as something that a person with disabilities needs to be empowered or prepared for.”

Sarah says that this mentality can change. When it does, it will open up potential for thousands of marginalized people in Sri Lanka who were told they could not pursue their dreams because of their disabilities: “They are encouraged to do minor jobs, rather than aspiring to get into jobs that match their capacities and interests.”

COVID-19 has stretched the health system in Sri Lanka, as it has everywhere, but the country is coming through the pandemic stronger, with valuable lessons learned. For Sarah and other disability advocates in the country, the recovery is a chance to expand services for all Sri Lankans, so that people with disabilities can be included and thrive.