Casualties and Victim Assistance

Summary findings

·         A lack of a central data collection mechanisms on casualties and the needs of victims continued to prevent effective planning of victim assistance

·         Improvements in the accessibility of services by public authorities helped more registered victims receive health care and other needed benefits

·         An estimated third of all victims were unregistered and therefore excluded from receiving pensions and other benefits

Victim assistance commitments

The People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria is responsible for a significant number of survivors of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) who are in need. Algeria has made commitments to provide victim assistance through the Mine Ban Treaty.

Casualties Overview

In 2012, the Monitor identified 51 casualties from victim-activated improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Algeria.[1] Slightly more than half (26) were military and security forces while the rest (25) were civilians. There were seven child casualties. The majority of casualties were male; there were at least eight female casualties,[2] four of these were children. It is likely that the total number of casualties was higher, since no annual casualty data has been provided by the Interministerial Committee on the Implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty (Interministerial Committee) since 2008. Casualty data was gathered from media reports.[3]

The total of 51 casualties identified in 2012 constitutes an increase compared to the number of casualties identified in previous years (35 in 2011 and 33 in 2010). However, the lack of a central data collection mechanism and annual casualty rate fluctuations in recent years make it difficult to identify trends.[4]

The total number of mine casualties in Algeria is unknown. As of March 2011, there were 2,325 mine survivors, as well as 439 widows and 739 descendants of victims killed in mine incidents registered with the Ministry of the Mujahidin.[5] In October 2009, it was reported in the media that there had been at least 6,762 mine casualties since 1962 (3,236 killed; 3,526 injured).[6] The total of 6,848 reported by the Monitor represents this figure plus all casualties identified since October 2009. No information was available on casualties caused by ERW.

Victim Assistance

As of March 2011, there were 2,325 registered mine survivors in Algeria.[7] In October 2009, it was reported that there were at least 3,551 mine survivors in Algeria.[8]

Victim assistance in 2012

In 2012, local civil society organizations noticed improvements in the accessibility of services and renewed interest from public authorities to make services more accessible to persons with disabilities. In particular, improvements were noticed in the health sector and in access to benefits for mine/ERW survivors.[9] All registered victims, including survivors as well as the family members of those killed by mines, are entitled to benefits through the ministries of mujahidin, national solidarity, and health. These benefits include healthcare and pensions.[10] However, the estimated number of survivors remains significantly higher than the number of registered victims.[11]

Assessing victim assistance needs

In 2012, the Interministerial Committee, in cooperation with local and international organizations involved in victim assistance, endorsed a new service directory based on information collected about available victim assistance services. As of the end of 2012, the directory was being translated into Arabic and was expected to be published and circulated during the second half of 2013.[12]

In 2012, Handicap International (HI) finalized the survivor identification process which had begun in 2009.[13] Throughout 2011, it had conducted survivor needs assessments in six wilayas (provinces) with the help of local NGOs. The gathered data was shared during a national seminar in April 2013 with survivors, disabled persons’ associations, and government authorities in order to assist in program planning, identifying priorities for mine action, and directing survivors more effectively to existing services. The data informed work to develop a new Victim Assistance Action Plan and in the implementation of economic integration micro-projects for mine/ERW victims and persons with disabilities.[14]

Victim assistance coordination[15]

The Interministerial Committee coordinates victim assistance in cooperation with the ministries of mujahidin and national solidarity.[16] In 2012, there were periodic victim assistance coordination meetings.[17] As of the end of 2012, Algeria had no national victim assistance plan. However, a plan based on the needs assessment coordinated by the Interministerial Committee and conducted by the Ministry of National Solidarity, Family and the Status of Women in partnership with HI was under development and was expected to be adopted in 2014.[18]

Algeria delivered a statement on victim assistance and socio-economic inclusion at the intersessional Standing Committee Meetings in May 2012 and another at the Twelfth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in December 2012. However, it provided little new data or updates on victim assistance activities.[19] Algeria did not provide information on victim assistance activities in Form J of its most recent Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report.[20]

Inclusion and participation in victim assistance

In 2012, survivors were included in nongovernmental coordination on victim assistance; in the design and implementation of awareness activities, inclusive education and economic inclusion projects; and in psychological support to survivors and their families.[21]

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Victim assistance activities in 2012[22]

Algerian authorities made efforts to improve access to health services.[23] In 2012, the public health service launched an internal review of the physical accessibility of their services. Furthermore, the government created a new electronic insurance card (“Chifa”) that was extended to include new categories of previously uninsured persons, such as persons with disabilities including mine/ERW survivors. This card allows beneficiaries to access health benefits for themselves and their family.[24]

To improve access to physical rehabilitation services, on 3 December 2012 the National Employee Social Insurance Fund (Caisse Nationale des Assurances Sociales des Travailleurs Salariés, CNAS) and the National Office for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities signed an agreement to include coverage of all orthopedic equipment within CNAS.[25]

HI expanded its programs for mine/ERW survivors and other persons with disabilities with a focus on psychosocial support, economic inclusion, inclusive education, and access to the labor market for youth and women with disabilities. HI continued to provide training and supervision for psychologists working with victims and their families. It also set up economic inclusion micro-projects adapted to mine/ERW victims and other persons with disabilities. These micro-projects were informed by the needs assessment led by HI and financed by the Interministerial Committee and UNDP.[26]

To promote inclusive education, HI supported local associations in the development of services to educate children with disabilities, including mine/ERW victims, in 4 wilayas and to train teachers in inclusive education in 7 wilayas. HI also worked on making three pilot schools in three different wilayas accessible.

The law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in employment, education, access to health care, and the provision of other state services. However, the government did not effectively enforce the law in 2012 and there was widespread social discrimination against persons with disabilities. Few government buildings were accessible to persons with disabilities.[27]

Algeria ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 4 December 2009.