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Azerbaijan
Casualties and Victim Assistance
Casualties Overview
|
All known casualties by end 2011 |
2,375 mine/ERW casualties (367 killed; 2,008 injured) |
|
Casualties in 2011 |
10 (2010: 5) |
|
2011 casualties by outcome |
3 killed; 7 injured (2010: 1 killed; 4 injured) |
|
2011 casualties by device type |
4 antipersonnel mines; 4 antivehicle mines; 2 victim-activated IED |
In 2011, the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) registered ten casualties in eight incidents. Six casualties were security forces and four were civilians: two soldiers were injured by antipersonnel mines; one soldier was killed and three others injured by antivehicle mines; among civilian casualties, one man was injured and another killed by antipersonnel mines; and a girl was killed and her mother injured by a suspected improvised explosive device. [1]
The 2011 data represented an increase from the five casualties identified in 2010[2] but remained lower than the 22 casualties identified by ANAMA in 2009.[3]
The Azerbaijan Campaign to Ban Landmines (AzCBL) identified 12 casualties in 2011.[4] In addition to the ten casualties recorded by ANAMA, AzCBL reported a man killed and a woman injured by explosive remnants of war (ERW).[5] In 2010, AzCBL reported 13 casualties.[6]
Variation in annual casualty data reported by key actors is due to differing collection methodologies. ANAMA collects casualty data through a network of district representatives and from media reports. Only incidents that occur in mine/ERW hazard areas and can be verified are recorded in the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA). AzCBL gathers information in all affected districts (except the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic) from its regional coordinators, civil and military hospitals, and rehabilitation centers as well as from the local media.[7]
ANAMA reported a total of 2,375 mine/ERW casualties (367 killed; 2,008 injured) in Azerbaijan from the early 1990s to the end of 2011.[8]
Victim Assistance
At least 1,843 mine/ERW survivors were known to be living in Azerbaijan in 2010 when data was cross-checked.[9]
Victim assistance coordination
ANAMA is the government focal point for victim assistance. Implementation of the Mine Victim Assistance (MVA) Strategy of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Program was coordinated through the MVA Working Group, led by ANAMA, which included national NGOs, the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society (AzRCS), and other relevant organizations. [10]
The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population (MLSPP) and the Ministry of Health are responsible for protecting the rights of persons with disabilities more generally.[11]
Service accessibility and effectiveness
The MLSPP provided rehabilitation and prostheses through three regional rehabilitation centers and the Rehabilitation Center of Invalids of the Republic in Baku.
AzCBL supported mine/ERW survivors and families with economic inclusion through micro-finance projects and legal awareness. ANAMA and the Azerbaijan Mine Victim Association provided services and assistance through national NGOs including such things as micro-credit, wheelchairs, and other equipment. The Chirag Humanitarian Development Public Union with the International Organization for Migration provided medical examinations and treatment as well as micro-credit and small-business training through a regional project funded by the International Trust Fund Enhancing Human Security (ITF).[12]
Regional centers for the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities existed in 14 municipalities of Azerbaijan.[13]
National legislation prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities. Employment discrimination remained a problem. There were no laws mandating access to public or other buildings, information, or communications for persons with disabilities, and most buildings were not accessible.[14]
Azerbaijan ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and its Optional Protocol on 28 January 2009. Azerbaijan submitted initial reporting under Article 35 of the CRPD in 2011.[15]
[1] Email from Arzu Asadova, Information Assistant, ANAMA, 11 June 2012.
[2] Email from Imran Safaraliyev, Mine Victim Assistance Officer, ANAMA, 7 February 2011; and ANAMA “Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action 2011,” Baku, 2011, p. 7.
[3] ICBL, Landmine Monitor 2010 (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, October 2010), www.the-monitor.org.
[4] Email from Hafiz Safikhanov, Director, AzCBL, 21 June 2012.
[5] Ibid., 10 July 2012.
[6] Ibid., 17 January 2011.
[7] ICBL, Landmine Monitor 2010 (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, October 2010), www.the-monitor.org.
[8] ANAMA,“Monthly Report January 2011,” p. 3, www.anama.gov.az; and email from Arzu Asadova, ANAMA, 11 June 2012.
[9] ANAMA, “Mine Victim Assistance, one of the pillars of the Humanitarian Mine Action,” www.anama.gov.az. The total was calculated by ANAMA through victim assistance projects and cross-checking of the casualty database, and includes the four survivors identified in 2010.
[10] Interview with Imran Safaraliyev, ANAMA, 28 February 2011; and ANAMA, “Mine Victim Assistance, one of the pillars of the Humanitarian Mine Action,” www.anama.gov.az.
[11] Interview with Hadi Rajabli, Chairperson, Milli Majlis (Parliament) Commission on Social Policy, Baku, 25 March 2011.
[12] ICBL-CMC, “Country Profile: Azerbaijan,” www.the-monitor.org, last updated, 21 October 2011; ITF, Annual Report 2011,” Ljubljana, 2012, pp. 71-72.
[13] Azerbaijan, “Initial report of the Republic of Azerbaijan about the implementation of the UN Convention On the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” p. 38 (CRPD/C/AZE/1 2011), www2.ohchr.org/SPdocs/CRPD/futuresession/CRPD.C.AZE.1.doc.
[14] US Department of State, “2011 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Azerbaijan,” Washington, DC, 24 May 2012.
[15] Azerbaijan, “Initial report of the Republic of Azerbaijan about the implementation of the UN Convention On the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” (CRPD/C/AZE/1 2011), www2.ohchr.org/SPdocs/CRPD/futuresession/CRPD.C.AZE.1.doc.
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