GAZA, (PIC)
In Gaza, autism is no longer just a health condition requiring special care, but has turned into doubled suffering in light of a war that leaves no room for calm or stability. Here, where the shelling does not stop, houses collapse, and families are uprooted from their roots, hundreds of autistic children live a harsh reality that exceeds their ability to understand or adapt.
On the second of April, the world celebrates World Autism Awareness Day, but in the besieged Strip, this occasion seems far from the reality of families struggling daily for survival, not for treatment.
Between the ruins, impossible care
Inside a destroyed house in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in northern Gaza, Layan Abu Qoussa, sixteen years old, lives with her family, in an environment that does not resemble any safe space an autistic child could live in.
Her father, Hammad Qoussa, says that the suffering of his daughter began before the war, but it has doubled today in an unprecedented way. Layan needed regular treatment and rehabilitation programs, but the lack of resources prevented that, and today, the family has become unable even to provide the minimum level of care.
Amidst the rubble, daily details turn into complex challenges; Layan needs constant monitoring, in an environment full of risks. The family can no longer leave her alone for a moment, which has imposed harsh restrictions on the lives of all family members, who in turn live under enormous psychological and humanitarian pressure.
Her father describes the scene in words that summarize the tragedy, “The older Layan grows, the more difficult it becomes to deal with her, and with the destruction surrounding them, controlling her behavior has become more complicated and dangerous.”
Displacement cuts the path of treatment
In another place, Islam Shamali tells a story different in details, but similar in pain. Her son Yahya, who was making remarkable progress in his treatment before the war, lost everything he built over years in moments.
The mother says that Yahya was receiving specialized care inside Gaza, and she even traveled with him to Egypt where his condition clearly improved. However, their return to the Strip coincided with the outbreak of the war, to begin a new journey of displacement and interruption.
Constant movement between unstable places, and living in tents or unfinished housing, robbed the child of his sense of safety. With the absence of routine, which is essential for children with autism, his condition deteriorated significantly.
His mother recounts that Yahya was constantly escaping from the tent, unaware of the risks, in an environment that provides no protection. Between attempts to secure a safer shelter, the family was forced to rent an unfinished apartment at a cost exceeding its capacity, in a desperate attempt to maintain his stability.
When parents are forced to become doctors
The crisis was not limited to families alone, but extended to an almost complete collapse in the care and rehabilitation system. Before the war, the Gaza Strip was already suffering from a shortage of specialists and specialized centers, but today, these services have almost disappeared.
Specialists say that families have been forced to take on the roles of doctors and therapists, despite their lack of experience and tools, which has led to a clear decline in the children’s skills and behavior.
In this reality, children lose not only treatment, but also the psychological support and human communication they need to grow. Daily life turns into a harsh test of the families’ ability to endure, in the absence of any real support.
While the world calls for the integration and empowerment of those with autism, it seems that the children of Gaza are being pushed to the margins more than ever before, in a battle in which they have no voice, and no options.
Here, parents do not ask for advanced rehabilitation programs or equal educational opportunities, but for the simplest rights: a safe place, a moment of calm, and a chance for their children to live without fear.
A world that embraces everyone
In the Gaza Strip, there are no accurate statistics or specialized surveys that determine the number of children with autism; however, professionals working in this field estimate that their numbers are in the hundreds, amid complaints of official neglect, weak rehabilitation services, and limited expertise available in care centers; it is a crisis that specialists say has worsened significantly during the war period.
In a message on the occasion of World Autism Awareness Day, the Secretary-General of the United Nations emphasized the need for people with autism, like others, to be able to be masters of their choices in life, and to help shape our common future. “This is because their talents, visions, and contributions enrich the world immensely.”
He added, “If we want to ensure for people with autism the opportunities they deserve in order to participate in society and thrive, there must be equality in education, justice in employment, and the availability of health systems for all.”
