The Persons with Special Needs Law (Law No. 34 of 2004)

This law clarifies the role of different agencies in providing services to persons with disabilities and promoting cooperation between them. This law applies to children with special needs.

According to the UNHCR, 2.6 million people in Syria have disabilities, and other estimates suggest that between 17% and 30% of the total population is disabled, far above the global average of 15 percent. Physical and mental disabilities among the Syrian population are, in large part, due to conflict-related violence, including from bombs, chemical weapons, mines, and lack of access to adequate medical facilities.

Children with disabilities are uniquely vulnerable. For example, since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, there has been an increase in a practice called “shackling,” which involves children with disabilities being chained in a separate room and ostracized by their families. This practice, apart from the inherent inhumanity of the act, is an example of how disabled Syrian children face social exclusion that can be exacerbated by the conflict. Furthermore, Syrian children with disabilities face greater exclusion from educational opportunities.

More recently, Decree No. 19 for 2024 on protecting the rights of persons with special needs defined responsibilities and duties for the government, civil society, and the persons with disabilities themselves. The decree also stresses the concept that disability is based on human rights principles rather than the notion of charity.