Adala UK – June 2025

Adala UK expresses grave concern over the worsening situation of Saharawis with disabilities living under Moroccan occupation in the Non-Self-Governing Territory of Western Sahara. Despite Morocco’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2009, persons with disabilities of Saharawi origin continue to be systematically marginalised, discriminated against, and denied their basic rights.

The lived experience of Saharawis with disabilities underlines the profound human cost of the ongoing occupation. These individuals are doubly burdened—facing not only the structural exclusion and repression that affects the wider Saharawi population, but also specific barriers and rights violations linked to their disability status. This is further exacerbated by the Moroccan state’s failure to uphold its international legal obligations under the CRPD, as well as other international and regional human rights instruments.

Discrimination Rooted in Political Repression

In practice, the Moroccan authorities have created a legal and social environment in which Saharawis with disabilities are excluded from protection, services, and opportunities available to other citizens. The root of this discrimination is political: Saharawi-led organisations and individuals are routinely denied support or recognition if they are perceived as advocating for the right to self-determination—a right enshrined in international law and reaffirmed in multiple UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions.

Civil society organisations that seek to support persons with disabilities in Western Sahara face severe restrictions. They are prevented from registering legally, denied access to public funding, and subjected to continuous intimidation. As a result, most operate informally and rely solely on local community donations, which have drastically declined due to widespread poverty and unemployment across the Saharawi population. Several organisations have been forced to scale back their work or shut down altogether, leaving a dangerous void in services and advocacy.

This deliberate obstruction of local organisations violates Article 4(3) of the CRPD, which obligates State Parties to closely consult with and actively involve persons with disabilities, including through their representative organisations, in all matters affecting them.

Denied Rights, Denied Dignity

Saharawis with disabilities consistently report limited or no access to essential services. Medical and rehabilitation care is grossly inadequate or entirely unavailable in many areas of the occupied territory. Mobility aids such as wheelchairs, unaffordable, or poorly maintained. Public infrastructure is not adapted to accommodate persons with disabilities, rendering even basic mobility and access a daily struggle.

Educational exclusion is widespread. There are no inclusive education programmes for children with disabilities, nor are schools equipped to accommodate their needs. Without access to education or vocational training, persons with disabilities are effectively excluded from the labour market. Those seeking employment face systemic discrimination on both ethnic and ability grounds, often resulting in chronic poverty and social isolation.

In many cases, Saharawis with disabilities are forced to rely on the goodwill of family or community members for survival, or are driven into begging. This dehumanising reality starkly contradicts Article 19 of the CRPD, which guarantees the right of persons with disabilities to live independently and be included in the community.

Violence and Impunity

There is credible and consistent documentation of the use of excessive force against persons with disabilities by Moroccan authorities. Peaceful demonstrations involving persons with disabilities have been violently dispersed, physical abuse, and degrading treatment—even against individuals in wheelchairs. These incidents are almost never investigated by the judicial system.

This climate of impunity reflects a broader pattern across the occupied territories, where allegations of abuse—particularly against Saharawi activists, protesters, and marginalised groups—are routinely ignored. Despite formal legal protections, Moroccan courts and public prosecutors fail to act, undermining the fundamental right to access justice and accountability.

Such practices are in clear violation of Articles 15 and 16 of the CRPD, which prohibit torture and ill-treatment and require States to take all appropriate measures to protect persons with disabilities from all forms of violence and abuse.

A representative of one Saharawi disability organisation described the situation as follows:

“Our organisation, Absar Al Khayr, was founded on 26 February 2013. We initially rented a private home to use as our headquarters, but the Moroccan authorities placed pressure on the landlord, who eventually asked us to vacate due to that pressure. Absar Al Khayr is the only Saharawi association whose founding charter combines humanitarian principles with the demand for the rights of persons with disabilities—including the right to self-determination as recognised by the United Nations.”

“We were never granted permission to operate or legal recognition by the occupying authorities. When I went to the Moroccan administration to submit our registration documents, I was insulted and physically removed from the building by staff. They pushed me down the stairs in a humiliating act. I later sent the application by registered mail. Three months later, I received a phone call informing me that our request had been rejected because we were considered ‘separatists’.”

This account is illustrative of the hostile environment faced by Saharawi-led civil society initiatives and their members—particularly those working at the intersection of disability rights and political advocacy.

A Call for International Action

Adala UK urges the international community, and in particular the United Nations, CRPD Committee, Human Rights Council, and international NGOs, to take immediate and concrete action to address this critical human rights crisis.

We call on relevant stakeholders to:

• Ensure unimpeded access for international human rights organisations and independent observers to the Occupied Territories of Western Sahara;
• Pressure Moroccan authorities to allow Saharawi-led disability organisations to operate freely, including the right to register legally and receive international funding and technical support;
• Monitor and report on Morocco’s compliance with the CRPD and other human rights treaties, especially in non-self-governing territories;
• Demand the equal provision of services to all persons with disabilities, without discrimination based on ethnicity, political affiliation, or geographic location;
• Establish independent mechanisms to investigate all allegations of violence, discrimination, or neglect toward persons with disabilities in Western Sahara and to ensure accountability for perpetrators.

The international community must reaffirm that human rights are universal and that no one should be excluded—especially not the most vulnerable—because of their political identity or because they live under occupation. The rights of Saharawis with disabilities must be urgently addressed within the broader framework of justice, equality, and the right to self-determination.

Adala UK will continue to monitor and report on violations of the rights of Saharawis with disabilities and to advocate for a rights-based approach to peace and justice in Western Sahara. For more information or to support our work, please contact: info@adalauk.org.

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