Mapping the Paradigm of Disabilities in Afghanistan from the Lens of Law and Policy

Disability is a cross-cutting issue in Afghanistan. After four decades of armed conflict, it is unknown how many Afghans are disabled, and accurate data are scarce. Afghanistan has over a million people with disabilities, and their situation is generally poor. While war and landmines rendered hundreds of thousands of Afghans crippled, many more suffered birth defects, accidents, hunger, and diseases that could have been avoided but the inner lives of those with impairments do not concern most the others in an armed conflict state. The interactions with people who have disabilities have been a brief “Salam Alaikum” (Hello) and a respectful “Tashakor” or “Manana” (Thank you). However, many people with disabilities experience stigma, prejudice, and exclusion from society. Still, neither the government nor the international non-governmental organisation has disclosed the statistical information and challenges that differently-abled persons face in Afghanistan it could be male or female. This article looks closely at the legal system in Afghanistan that protects the people with disabilities that they need to engage in public life on an equal footing with other people. The current study uses a doctrinal approach with an emancipatory perspective on impairments to suggest possible solutions to alleviate and improve their situations. The study is limited to drawing the attention of NGOs and policymakers to mid the condition of people with disability from the breath and the length of Afghanistan. In this article, the study has focused mainly on the legislative framework and the issues that smoke screens the overreach of the law for the protection of disabilities and prohibit discrimination in public life, also exposing obstacles that impediment people who are physically or mentally challenged.