“We have a right to love”: the intersection of sexual and reproductive health and disability for urban refugees in Kampala Uganda.

Article 25 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) states that persons with disabilities should have the same range quality and standard of free or affordable health care including in the area of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) as provided to other persons. Yet the needs of crisis-affected populations with disabilities are notably absent from global SRH and gender guidelines and standards for humanitarian practice. To address this gap the Women’s Refugee Commis¬sion (WRC) the Refugee Law Project (RLP) and other stakeholders undertook a qualitative examination of the specific risks needs and barriers for Congolese and other refugees with disabilities to accessing SRH services in Kampala Uganda as well as their capacities and practical ways to overcome these challenges. The target population of refugees was those with long-term physical intellectual sensory and mental impairments who experience barriers in society that hinder their full and effective participation on an equal basis with others. This group included women with disabilities aged 20-49 years; men with disabilities aged 20-59 years; and adolescent girls and boys with disabilities aged 15-19 years. Caregivers and family members who cared for adolescent or adult refugees with disabilities were also consulted for this study. Participatory methods based on a literature review and consultative processes were applied for this study. Participatory activities among refugees with disabilities included: mapping sorting and developing timelines to explore knowledge of the reproductive system and fertility; examining community perceptions surrounding persons with disabilities and their SRH; and reviewing barriers to accessing information and services; perceptions around different types of treat¬ment; and determining risk and protective factors. Activities among family/caregivers spurred discussion regarding new experiences and concerns that emerge as a result of a child maturing into a teenager or an adult and experiences seeking health care for their child/family member with disabilities. Refugees and persons with disabilities were recruited as part of the study team to utilize their skills and capacities and facilitate empowerment processes. This study among refugees with a variety of disabilities in Kampala is one of three studies exploring the inter¬sections between SRH and disability in humanitarian settings. In the Kampala study a total of 103 refugees with disabilities participated in the study of whom 74 were women and girls and 29 were men and boys. Thirty-three caregivers and family members of refugees with disabilities were also consulted. Participants were consulted in Swahili Somali Kinyarwanda and Luganda sign.