Namibia
Casualties and Victim Assistance
Casualties Overview
|
All known casualties by end 2011 |
618 (145 killed; 473 injured) |
In 2011, no new casualties were recorded in Namibia. The last reported casualties occurred in 2007, when 12 casualties from explosive remnants of war (ERW) were reported.[1] The last known mine casualty was in March 2005 involving one man who was injured.[2]
At least 618 mine/ERW casualties have been recorded since 1999.
Since 1999, the number of new mine/ERW casualties per year in Namibia has declined rapidly. In 2000, official statistics reported 14 people killed and 126 injured by mines/ERW. By 2002, this number had decreased to two people killed and 17 injured.[3] Between 1999 and December 2008, at least 145 civilians have been killed and 473 injured by mines/ERW.[4]
Victim Assistance
Namibia has no specialized mine/ERW victim assistance coordination. The National Disability Council coordinates and monitors implementation of disability policy in cooperation with disabled people’s organizations, service providers, and government agencies. In June 2011, a dedicated facility was inaugurated for the council.[5]
Namibian law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities, but enforcement remained ineffective and societal discrimination persisted in 2011. All new government buildings must be physically accessible.[6]
Namibia ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 4 December 2007.
[1] ICBL, Landmine Monitor Report 2008: Toward a Mine-Free World (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, 2008), www.the-monitor.org, 16 June 2012.
[2] Fax from Chief Inspector John N. Alweendo, Namibian Police Force, 18 June 2007.
[3] ICBL, Landmine Monitor Report 2004: Toward a Mine-Free World (New York: Human Rights Watch, 2004), www.the-monitor.org, accessed 16 June 2012.
[4] ICBL, Landmine Monitor Report 2008: Toward a Mine-Free World (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, 2008), www.the-monitor.org, accessed 16 June 2012.
[5] Speech by Richard Nchabi Kamwi, Minister of Health and Social Services, 3 June 2011, Windhoek, www.healthnet.org.na/minister/speeches/Launch_of_Disability_council_office_June_3[1].pdf, accessed 28 August 2012.
[6] US Department of State, “2011 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Namibia,” Washington, DC, 24 May 2012.