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Kosovo
Casualties and Victim Assistance
Casualties
Casualties overview
|
All known casualties by end 2010 |
560 mine/ERW casualties (114 killed; 446 injured) |
|
Casualties in 2010 |
2 (2009: 7) |
|
2010 casualties by outcome |
2 injured (2009: 1 killed; 6 injured) |
|
2010 casualties by device type |
2 ERW |
In 2010, two explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties were reported in Kosovo in a single incident. Both casualties were boys and both were injured.[1] This represented a decrease from the seven casualties in three incidents reported for 2009.[2] No antipersonnel mine casualties have been reported in Kosovo since 2004.
Between 1999 and 2010, 560 mine/ERW/unexploded submunition casualties (114 killed; 446 injured) were identified in Kosovo. The vast majority of casualties (438 or 78%) were recorded between 1999 and 2000.[3]
At least 178 casualties from incidents involving unexploded submunitions were recorded between 1999 and the end of 2010.[4] An additional 25 casualties, which occurred during the use of cluster munitions in 1999, were also recorded.[5]
Victim Assistance
The total number of mine/ERW survivors in Kosovo is not known. Since 1999, 446 people were recorded as injured by mines, ERW, or unexploded submunitions.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MLSW) is responsible for protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, including mine/ERW survivors.[6] Implementation of the Action Plan for People with Disabilities (2009–2011), including monitoring activities, continued in 2010. However, overall, limited progress was reported for persons with disabilities.[7]
A 10-month project to empower 30 mine/ERW survivors to improve knowledge on socio-economic rights implemented by the Center for Promotion of Education (Qendra për Përparimin e Edukimit dhe Arsimit, QPEA) was completed in August 2010.[8] As a result of the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF)-funded project, 10 survivors also received prostheses at the University Rehabilitation Institute, Slovenia.[9] Other services for mine/ERW survivors have included the National Ortho-Prosthetic Center, which provided free prosthetic devices; local NGO HandiKos, which provided rehabilitation and social inclusion services; and Jesuit Refugee Service, which provided support and assistance for young survivors.[10]
Kosovo has legislation prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities in the provision of government services. However, it was reported that the government did not effectively implement the law and the situation for persons with disabilities remained difficult. A law requiring access to official buildings was not enforced and such buildings were rarely accessible.[11] The MLSW provided disability pensions to mine/ERW survivors.[12]
[1] Emails from Bajram Krasniqi, Official for Public Information, Coordinating Center for Demining, Ministry for the Kosovo Security Force (MKSF), 21 March 2011; and from Admir Berisha, Programme Manager, HALO Trust, 3 May 2011.
[2] Email from Bajram Krasniqi, Public Information and Victim Assistance Officer, Office of the Kosovo Protection Corps Coordinator, UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), 5 May 2009; and telephone interview with Bajram Krasniqi, UNMIK, 1 July 2009.
[3] “List of Mine/UXO Civilian Victims in Kosovo 1999–2010,” provided by email from Bajram Krasniqi, MKSF, 21 March 2011.
[4] Circle of Impact: The Fatal Footprint of Cluster Munitions on People and Communities (Brussels: Handicap International [HI], May 2007), p. 69; “Mine wounds two children in Kosovo,” Agence France-Presse (Pristina), 9 April 2007; “Land mine explodes in Kosovo; 4 children injured,” International Herald Tribune, 9 November 2007; email from Bajram Krasniqi, UNMIK, 5 May 2009; and telephone interview with Bajram Krasniqi, UNMIK, 1 July 2009.
[5] Circle of Impact: The Fatal Footprint of Cluster Munitions on People and Communities (Brussels: HI, May 2007), p. 69.
[6] US Department of State, “2010 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Kosovo,” Washington, DC, 8 April 2011; and email from Bajram Krasniqi, MKSF, 21 March 2011.
[7] EC, “Kosovo 2010 Progress Report: Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2010–2011,” Brussels, 9 November 2010, p. 17.
[8] ITF, “Annual Report 2010,” Ljubljana 2011, p. 72.
[9] Email from Bajram Krasniqi, MKSF, 21 March 2011.
[10] ICBL, Landmine Monitor 2010 (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, October 2010), www.the-monitor.org.
[11] US Department of State, “2010 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Kosovo,” Washington, DC, 8 April 2011.
[12] Email from Bajram Krasniqi, MKSF, 21 March 2011.
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