Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Duley is a world-famous British photographer, writer, chef, and founder of the humanitarian organization Legacy of War. "The process of truly, fully supporting people with disabilities in conflict and peacebuilding hasn't even begun," he said in an interview with the UN News Service.
“Every day on the front line – and in conflict zones"And in humanitarian crises, I see people living in appalling conditions in makeshift tents. I see people who can't get to a toilet. I see people who can't find shelter from bombing. I see people trapped in houses, using the bathroom as a refuge because they can't get to a bomb shelter," he explained.
The Global Envoy's goal was to answer a request from the people whose lives he'd been documenting for years: "When I photograph someone in a war zone… they always say, 'Tell this story to world leaders.'" But he believes this mission was never fully accomplished.
"I wanted to be inspired, not by myself, but by others."
© Giles Duley
Giles Duley is an internationally renowned British photographer, writer, chef and founder of a humanitarian organisation.
"I didn't expect everything to change in three years. I hoped people would listen—but today I feel like I've failed and that the system has let us down. Because too often, when I was invited to speak, they only wanted to hear my personal story. They expected it to inspire action," says Duley.
He began his career as a music photographer, working with Mariah Carey, Oasis, Lenny Kravitz, and other celebrities. In 2000, his image of Marilyn Manson was included in the list of the 100 greatest rock photographs of all time. He later focused on documentary work. In 2011, Duley lost both legs and one arm in an IED explosion in Afghanistan. In 2012, he returned to photography.
“I shouldn’t be here to inspire, I want to be inspired by people without disabilities who are genuinely committed to making a difference in the lives of those living with disabilities – to helping them break down the barriers that prevent change,” he says.
He said people with disabilities are too often included in processes only symbolically. "I've been to many conferences where they bring a survivor of a landmine or sexual assault up on stage… time and time again, it feels like a performance," Duley said. "Everyone claps, everyone says, 'I'm so inspired,'… but how often are these people then invited to participate in real policy change?"
Stories from the Frontlines: Gaza, Chad, Ukraine
This week, Duley, together with the UN Mine Action Service and the Office for Disarmament Affairs, opened an exhibition dedicated to victims of explosive remnants of war and deminers. Among the exhibits are Duley's own works. Speaking at a press briefing at UN headquarters, he shared the stories of two of the exhibition's subjects (names have been changed – editor's note).
The first is from a camp on the border of Chad and Sudan.
© Giles Duley
Navali in a camp for internally displaced people in Chad.
"It was a woman named Nawali, who had suffered from polio as a child… She was a teacher, an activist," he said. When her village in Sudan was attacked, her wheelchair was destroyed. She was literally forced to crawl to find refuge in Chad.
When Duley met her, she was living in a tent, without a wheelchair. The woman, who had previously lived independently, now had to crawl on the ground to use the toilet. According to the photographer, this was not only humiliating but also put Navali at risk of sexual violence and other attacks.
"No agency provided her with a wheelchair," he said. The staff explained that they hadn't registered her because "there were no experts to determine whether she had a disability." Duley noted that "perhaps a person crawling past them on her hands doesn't really need such an expert."
The second story is from Ukraine: Yulia, a young woman with severe cerebral palsy, whose parents were detained by Russian forces in the first days of the full-scale invasion.
© Giles Duley
Yulia's parents, who rely on them for support, were detained.
"Her mother kept repeating, 'I need to go home, my daughter can't feed herself,'" the photographer recounted. When she was released, "the soldiers chuckled and said, 'Don't worry, we took care of her. We fed her candy.'"
In the room, the mother found her daughter naked on the bed, covered with candy wrappers.
"She started losing her teeth and hair… the stress made her physically ill," Duley said. "That's the reality of people with disabilities in conflict."
He also spoke about Amr, a boy from Gaza who lost his leg to a sniper during the Great March of Return. After a difficult evacuation and return home, he didn't leave his apartment for two years.
"He didn't want to come out… because he was afraid people would judge him," Duley recalls. "And they would forget about him."
The photographer visited the family often, cooked with Amr, and eventually persuaded him to go out for coffee by the sea: “Sometimes it’s these simple things that change someone’s life.”
After the escalation on October 7, the last message Duley received was: "How do we escape?" "I don't know what happened to that family," he said.
"Stop seeing disability first"
Despite decades of activism, systemic inaction persists due to stigma, discomfort among others, and prejudices that many cannot even admit to themselves. Duley recalls his own experience when he used a wheelchair in the early days after his injury: "People often wouldn't even talk to me… A taxi driver would pull up and ask the person behind me where I was going."
At the same time, people with disabilities often have to hide what they are going through, “because everyone wants to see us as resilient and positive.”
Duley also called on journalists and communications professionals to reconsider their approach to covering disability issues.
© Giles Duley
Mohammad in a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was shot in the head.
"When people interview me, the first thing they want to talk about is what happened to me more than 10 years ago," he said. "I would never ask someone in any other situation about the worst experience of their life from 10 years ago… I want people to talk about my work now."
The photographer said he sometimes traveled to crisis zones, where he was given "trauma lists" to photograph: "Before the person's name, it would often say: amputation, facial injury… I would tear up the sheet."
"Tell me about a family you enjoy spending time with. A family who always treats you so well that you can't leave their house for a long time. A family you worry about at night. That list would be completely different," Duley explained.
About the forgotten victims of crises
He also emphasized that disability should not be viewed as a single concept. People with mental illnesses and "invisible" disabilities face different barriers and risks than those with other conditions.
© Giles Duley
Camp for internally displaced persons in Chad.
Duley added that women with disabilities face even greater challenges, including limited access to toilets and increased stigma. Mothers caring for children with disabilities face additional burdens. For example, they cannot leave their children to go to registration and distribution centers.
"In times of crisis, war, or humanitarian catastrophe, such people become even more vulnerable and even more forgotten," said Duley. "It's really simple: you need to understand their needs—and then they can exercise their rights."
"My dream is for everyone to have the same opportunities as me."
"I've had incredible support… and now I'm living the life I dreamed of. I travel, I do the work I love, I live independently," says Duley, calling on world leaders to ensure every person with a disability has access to such opportunities. "That's my dream. We just need to be seen as people who need a different set of supports," Duley added.
He recalled returning to Afghanistan after an injury and photographing a seven-year-old boy who had also been injured by a mine. "I remember thinking, 'Why should a boy who was just going to school have to go through what I go through every day? I live with pain—both physical and emotional," he said. "But if my work gives even one child the support they need and the chance to avoid the same hardships, my life will be worthwhile."
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.