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Armenia
Casualties and Victim Assistance
Casualty Overview
|
All known casualties by end 2012 |
At least 594 mine/ERW casualties (120 killed; 323 injured; 151 unknown) |
|
Casualties in 2012 |
0 (2011: 6) |
|
2012 Casualties by outcome |
0 (2011: 3 killed; 3 injured) |
|
2012 Casualties by device type |
0 |
No new mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties were identified in the Republic of Armenia in 2012. In 2011, six mine casualties were identified.[1]
At least 594 mine/ERW casualties (120 killed; 323 injured; 151 of unknown status) have been reported in Armenia since 1990.[2] The Armenia Landmine Impact Survey from 2005 identified 394 casualties (110 killed; 284 injured).[3]
Victim Assistance
The Monitor has identified at least 323 mine/ERW survivors in Armenia. Other reports have recorded over 580 “mine victims” which could include family members of people who have been killed by mines/ERW.[4]
In 2012, the ICRC supported the Armenian Red Cross Society (ARCS) in starting a program of data collection on the needs of mine/ERW survivors. There was no existing reliable list of mine/ERW survivors in Armenia, which considerably slowed down the process as the ARCS volunteers had to undertake an initial search. By the end of 2012, the ARCS volunteers had collected data on 150 mine/ERW survivors and their families.[5]
Armenia has no victim assistance coordination or specific victim assistance strategy. Mine/ERW survivors receive the same services as other persons with disabilities.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is responsible for protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, but it reportedly failed to do that effectively.[6]
In 2012, the International Organization for Migration in Armenia continued a socioeconomic reintegration project for survivors supported by the International Trust Fund: Enhancing Human Security (ITF) that began in 2009. Project activities included micro-credit, skills training, and enhancing government ownership of victim assistance.[7]
ICRC teams launched livelihood-support activities for the most vulnerable people in some of the most mine/ERW-affected villages, on the basis of a needs assessment the ICRC conducted in 2011.[8]
The law prohibits discrimination against persons with any disability; however, discrimination remained a problem. The law and a special government decree mandated accessibility to buildings for persons with disabilities, but very few buildings were accessible. Persons with disabilities experienced problems in virtually all spheres of life, including health care, social and psychological rehabilitation, education, transportation, communication, access to employment, and social protection. More than 90% of persons with disabilities who were able to work were unemployed. There were widespread reports of corruption and arbitrary rulings in the governmental medical commission that determines a person’s disability status under the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.[9]
Armenia ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 22 September 2010.
[1] “Two Young Armenian Boys Injured from Land Mine,” Press.am, 25 January 2011, www.epress.am/en/2011/01/25/two-young-armenian-boys-injured-from-land-mine.html, accessed on 2 April 2012; and United States (US) Department of State, “2011 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Armenia,” Washington, DC, 24 May 2012.
[2] Email from Gayane Armaghanova, Vice Chair, Armenian National Committee of the ICBL (ANC-ICBL), 22 April 2007; and US Department of State, “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Armenia 2009–2011.” There has been no consistent casualty data collection in Armenia. Prior to 2007, information on military casualties was not available and therefore it is not possible to compare trends over time.
[3] UNDP, “Landmine Impact Survey, Republic of Armenia, 2005,” Yerevan, p. 17.
[4] ANC-ICBL identified 548 survivors through 2007 and 34 injured casualties between 2008 and 2010. Email from Gayane Armaghanova, ANC-ICBL, 22 April 2007. In 2012 the ITF reported that there were over 580 mine victims in Armenia. ITF, “Annual Report 2011,” Ljubljana, 2012, p.68. The ITF was formerly known as the International Trust Fund for Demining and Victims Assistance (Slovenia).
[5] Email from Herbi Elmazi, Regional Weapon Contamination Advisor, Regional Delegation for the Russian Federation, ICRC, 15 April 2013.
[6] US Department of State, “2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Armenia,” Washington, DC, 2013.
[7] ITF, “Annual Report 2012,” Ljubljana, 2013, pp. 91–92; and ITF, “Annual Report 2011,” Ljubljana, 2012, p. 68.
[8] ICRC, “Annual Report 2012,” Geneva, May 2013, p. 317.
[9] US Department of State, “2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Armenia,” Washington, DC, 2013.
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