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Iraq's disabled lack basic help

The number of Iraqis with special needs is growing in light of ongoing wars and sectarian conflicts, while they face a lack of adequate physical and psychological rehab centers.
A displaced Iraqi man, who fled from Islamic State violence in Mosul, sits in a wheelchair at Baherka refugee camp in Erbil September 19, 2014. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT SOCIETY) - RTR46YAX
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BABIL, Iraq — Civil activist Fatin Alobeidi posted on her Facebook page Sept. 8 a photo of Ahmad al-Jaf, a homeless old blind man who has no family. In the photo, the man is sitting on the side of Jisr al-Shuhada (the Bridge of Martyrs) in Baghdad.

Jaf’s situation is not much different from that of many other disabled people in Iraq. According to 2014 statistics from the Association of Short Statured People and People with Special Needs, there are about 4 million disabled people in Iraq. They face neglect and isolation and take on strenuous occupations; dire poverty leads these disabled people to street begging.

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