Kuwait
Casualties and Victim Assistance
Casualties
Casualties overview
|
All known casualties by end 2013 |
1,406 mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties (86 killed; 1,026 injured from August 1990 to 2002) |
|
Casualties in 2013 |
1 (2012: 1) |
|
2013 casualties by outcome |
1 injured (2012: 1 killed) |
|
2013 casualties by device type |
1 antipersonnel mine |
At least one antipersonnel landmine casualty was reported in Kuwait in 2013. An Indian shepherd lost both legs and was blinded.[1]
The Monitor also identified one mine casualty in Kuwait 2012, a Bangladeshi shepherd was killed.[2]
Three mine casualties were identified in 2011.[3] The casualty rate has remained low since sharply decreasing in 2008. People most affected by landmines in Kuwait are immigrants, mainly shepherds from south Asia who work in the desert areas of the country and are often unaware of the mine/ERW threat. Landmine casualties continued to be reported in 2014; in April a Sudanese shepherd was killed in the north of the country.[4]
From 1999 to the end of 2012, the Monitor identified 126 mine/ERW casualties in Kuwait (30 killed; 54 injured; 42 unknown).
The Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) recorded 1,405 mine/ERW casualties in Kuwait from August 1990 to 2002, including 85 killed and 1,026 injured by mines, and 119 killed and 175 injured by ERW.[5]
Between 1990 and 2006, at least 198 cluster munition remnants casualties were recorded in Kuwait (61 killed; 137 injured). These casualties were mostly clearance personnel.[6] It was reported that the casualty severely injured in 2013 received support for his care through donations.[7]
Approximately 68% of residents in Kuwait were non-citizens, many from the Indian subcontinent. Societal discrimination against non-citizens was prevalent and occurred in most areas of daily life, including employment, education, housing, and healthcare. In June 2013, the government began segregating public hospital staff and treatment times between citizens and non-citizens, reserving mornings for treatment of citizens exclusively, except in case of non-citizen emergencies.[8]
Kuwait ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 22 August 2013.
[1] “Landmine Explosion in the desert: Shepherd lost his legs,” Kuwait Times (International); and “Help Shankar - Landmine Injury Victim in Kuwait,” Dester Girl Kuwait blog, 8 September 2013.
[2] “Stray Mine Kills Shepherd,” Kuwait Times, 4 June 2012; in 2013, the Monitor, which was last updated on 25 November 2013, had reported an additional person injured in 2012, however media reports had incorrectly dated the incident. See “No end in sight for plight of injured Indian worker – Nearly killed by Iraqi landmine,” Kuwait Times,
[3] “Landmine Blows Apart Shepherd,” Arab Times, 20 January 2011, p. 4, accessed 5 June 2013; and email from Dr. Raafat Misak, Professor, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, quoting information provided by the Ministry of Defence of Kuwait, 16 April 2012.
[4] “Sudanese shepherd killed in landmine explosion Kuwait Times, 13 April 2014, news.kuwaittimes.net/sudanese-shepherd-killed-landmine-explosion/.
[5] ICBL, Landmine Monitor Report 2002: Toward a Mine-Free World (New York: Human Rights Watch, August 2002), www.the-monitor.org, accessed 5 June 2013.
[6] Handicap International, “Circle of Impact: The Fatal Footprint of Cluster Munitions on People and Communities,” Brussels, May 2007, p. 18. There has been a lack of data on civilian casualties.
[7] “Landmine victim Jakanshar flies home,” Indiansinkuwait, 29 October 2013. He later received a compensation payment of 30,000 KWD (or approximately $100,000) from Kuwait after returning to India, according to one report. News Video, “Landmine victim gets 30 000 dinar from Kuwait government,” February 2014.
[8] United States Department of State, “2013 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Kuwait,” Washington, DC, 27 February 2014.