Persons with disabilities constitute 2.1 pc of population in Palestine

Welcome Guest! You are here: Home » World

Persons with disabilities constitute 2.1 pc of population in Palestine

The report said that 20 percent of persons with disabilities in Palestine are children under 18 years old

Wednesday December 4, 2019 7:37 PM, UNA-OIC

Ramallah: Persons with disabilities in Palestine constitute 2.1 percent of the total population - 48 per cent of them in the West Bank and 52 per cent in the Gaza Strip, according to the data of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census for 2017, said the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).

In a report published by PCBS on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the center said that mobility disability accounted for the highest proportion of disabilities; 47,109 persons with mobility disabilities constituted 51 percent of the total persons with disabilities.

The report said that 20 percent of persons with disabilities in Palestine are children under 18 years old. The percentage of male children was higher than that of females in the same age group, reaching 21 per cent and 18 per cent respectively. The percentage was more prevalent in Gaza Strip (22 percent) than in the West Bank (17 percent).

According to the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017, the number of persons with disabilities in Palestine in urban areas reached 69,242, which represented 75 percent of the total number of persons with disabilities, of whom 28,563 in the West Bank, which constituted 64 percent of the total number of persons with disabilities in the West Bank. 40,679 persons in Gaza Strip, which constituted 85 percent of the total number of persons with disabilities in the Gaza Strip.

Data indicated that 13 percent of persons with disabilities live in rural areas compared to 12 percent live in the camps of Palestine. Data also suggested that illiteracy rates among persons aged 10 years and over with disabilities reached 32 percent in Palestine in 2017.

It revealed that the gap in illiteracy rates between the sexes is large, as the illiteracy rates among males reached 20 percent compared to 46 percent among females. The illiteracy rate in the West Bank was 35 percent while in Gaza Strip it was 29 percent among persons with disabilities aged 10 years and over.

The report said almost half of Palestinian children with disabilities aged 6-17 years were not enrolled in education in 2017. These rates varied between West Bank 51 percent and Gaza Strip 43 percent.

The report suggested that about a third of the women with disabilities who are married or have been married have experienced violence by their husbands.

The Violence Survey in the Palestinian Society 2019 indicated that 37 percent of women with disabilities who are currently married or who have been married experienced violence at least once by their husbands in Palestine, in the 12 months preceding the survey.

The percentage varied considerably between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as the percentage in the West Bank reached 30 percent compared to 42 percent in the Gaza Strip in the past 12 months preceding the interview for the year 2019.

Meanwhile, 50 percent of these women who experienced violence were subjected to psychological violence While 20 percent of the same group subjected to physical violence at least once by their husbands.

More than one-quarter of individuals (18-64 years) with disabilities who have never been married have experienced violence.

The Violence Survey in the Palestinian Society 2019 indicated that 27 percent of persons with disabilities (18-64 years) who had never been married experienced violence at least once from a household member in Palestine in the past 12 months preceding the interview for the year 2019.

The percentage varied considerably between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as the percentage in the West Bank reached 19 percent compared to 35 percent in the Gaza Strip. About one-third of persons (18-64 years) with disabilities who have never been married experienced psychological violence, while almost one-fifth experienced physical violence.

The 2017 Census data indicated that the unemployment rate among persons with disabilities in Palestine participating in the labor force who are aged 15 years and over was 37 percent, (19 percent in the West Bank and 54 percent in the Gaza Strip).

For all the latest News, Opinions and Views, download ummid.com App.

Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic.