CBM Global Inclusion Advisory Group (2022) People with Psychosocial Disabilities in Disaster Events

People with psychosocial disabilities are among those at the highest risk during and after disaster events. This is for a range of reasons, including that people with psychosocial disabilities: experience significant human rights abuses in most settings; are subject to pervasive negative attitudes, marginalisation and are often excluded from Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) activities. Many thousands of people with psychosocial disabilities continue to be detained in institutions and/or shackled or locked up in the community against their will. They are often forgotten altogether during disaster planning or response, including during evacuation. A further danger is that the institutionalisation of people with psychosocial disabilities may rise after a disaster event. This is due to an ongoing lack of psychosocial supports and services provided in the community, based on free, informed consent.