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Accepted Paper:
The Ebola outbreak and people with disabilities in Liberia: how did structural violence diminish rights and trust?
Ellie Cole
(UCL)
Maria Kett
People with disabilities in Liberia have historically been victims of structural violence perpetuated by the government and other actors. This paper discusses the ways in which people with disabilities’ trust in the state was impacted by the responses to the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks.
Paper long abstract:
This paper explores Liberia’s commitments to reducing poverty and increasing prosperity through its adherence to international treaties and development goals; and the extent to which Liberian people with disabilities trust the state to deliver on these commitments. People with disabilities in Liberia have historically been ignored by the government and have had little trust in its institutions. This paper questions how rights the ostensibly enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities have been implemented, and what impact they are having on the lives of people with disabilities, as well as the extent to which the domestication of the Sustainable Development Goals has led to positive change. Drawing on the results of two research projects implemented in Liberia between 2015 and 2023, this paper discusses how people with disabilities’ trust in government was affected by the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreak responses, paying particular attention to issues of structural violence. Results found that structural violence and ableism towards people with disabilities is pervasive and that the Ebola and COVID-19 epidemic responses enacted violence on both citizens and the state. The research also found that lack of trust in state institutions, loss of faith in democratic processes, and significant fear for personal security compound the pervasive poverty found among people with disabilities. The very institutions that should be accountable to them as citizens are those they are least likely to trust - compounding political disengagement and disenfranchisement.