Summary action points based on 2012 findings

·         Increase national and international resources dedicated to sustaining the provision of physical rehabilitation services; previous investments in training rehabilitation technicians were wasted in 2012 due to a lack of raw materials for prosthetics production, leaving technicians idle and survivors and other persons with disabilities in need.

·         Ensure that the results of the 2013 mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) survivor needs assessment are considered in the implementation of the National Disability Plan and that, based on the results, the section of the plan relating to assistance for landmine survivors is revised as needed.

·         Clearly identify to donors where international resources —both financial and technical— are needed to guarantee implementation of the National Disability Plan.

Victim assistance commitments

The Republic of Mozambique is responsible for a significant number of landmine survivors, cluster munition victims and survivors of other ERW who are in need. Mozambique has made commitments to provide victim assistance through the Mine Ban Treaty and has victim assistance obligations under the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Casualties

Casualties Overview

In 2012, the National Demining Institute (Instituto Nacional de Desminagem, IND) reported three mine/ERW casualties in Mozambique.[1] All casualties were adult civilians; two were women. Two casualties occurred in Sofala province and the other in Maputo province.

The three casualties identified in 2012 represented a significant decrease from the nine casualties reported in 2011 and the 36 identified in 2010.[2] There were no casualties among deminers in 2012 as compared with three deminer casualties in 2011.

The total number of mine/ERW casualties in Mozambique is unknown, but there were at least 2,447 through the end of 2012. The most extensive collection of casualty data to date remains the nationwide Landmine Impact Survey (LIS), completed in 2001; it recorded 2,145 mine/ERW casualties but did not provide a breakdown of those killed and injured.[3] An additional 302 casualties (81 killed, 218 injured, three unknown) had been identified between 2002 and 2011.[4]

Cluster munition casualties

There were known to be casualties from incidents involving cluster munition remnants, though these were not distinguished from ERW in the data and would require a survey to identify them.[5]

Victim Assistance

The total number of mine/ERW survivors in Mozambique is not known. Between 2009 and 2012, 1,502 survivors were identified through needs assessments carried out in three provinces (Maputo, Inhambane and Sofala).[6] Based on the results of the 2007 national census, the Ministry of Women and Social Action (Ministério da Mulher e da Acção Social, MMAS) projected that there were 10,901 landmine/ERW survivors in Mozambique through December 2011.[7] The Monitor has recorded at least new 222 new survivors throughout the country in annual casualty recording since 1999.[8]

Victim assistance since 1999[9]

Since monitoring began in 1999, most mine/ERW survivors in Mozambique have lacked access to victim assistance services of all kinds. Most survivors live in rural areas, far from where services are located. A lack of both affordable transportation and knowledge of available services have been among the greatest obstacles to access. Thirty years of armed conflict damaged or destroyed some 40% of Mozambique’s medical facilities; the rebuilding of facilities, particularly outside of major urban centers, has been slow. Since 2005, there have been some improvements in the availability of medical care in rural areas. During this period, six rehabilitation centers have been renovated.

By 2009, all medical and rehabilitation centers were managed by the government, many of which had previously been managed by international organizations such as POWER, Handicap International (HI) and the Mozambique Red Cross. Five of Mozambique’s 10 rehabilitation centers offered accommodation but demand sometimes exceeded availability. The supply of rehabilitation services was limited due to a lack of trained technicians and materials. Rehabilitation centers remained dependent on international financial assistance for prosthetic materials. The launching of a national training course for prosthetists and orthotists in 2009, the first of its kind in the country, was expected to improve the quality and availability of services, though this outcome had not been observed through 2012.

Throughout the period, survivors have had almost no access to economic and social inclusion programs or psychological assistance. International and national NGOs, including the national Network for Mine Victims (Rede para Assistência às Vítimas de Minas, RAVIM), have reached a limited number of survivors to assist them in accessing services or provide basic economic relief or support for income generating projects.

The IND, the Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Saude, MISAU), and the MMAS officially shared responsibility for the coordination of victim assistance. However, Mozambique has lacked a coordination mechanism and a victim assistance plan. Since 2004, Mozambique has identified victim assistance as the weakest component of its mine action program.

Victim assistance in 2012

In 2012, there was an overall decrease in availability of victim assistance activities provided by both the government and NGOs. The decrease was attributed to declines in international financial assistance. This was especially marked in the area of physical rehabilitation where the lack of materials for rehabilitation centers prevented the production of prostheses throughout the year. The National Disability Plan 2012–2019, which included a component on assistance for mine survivors, was approved in September 2012.

Assessing victim assistance needs

In 2012, RAVIM, in partnership with HI, completed a survey of landmine survivors in 12 districts within the provinces of Sofala and Inhambane.[10] Conducted between October 2012 and June 2013, the survey was intended to assess the living conditions and needs of a representative sample of survivors of landmines and other ERW.[11] Data was collected through hundreds of interviews with landmine/ERW survivors, service providers, and local community leaders as well as through focus group discussions with landmine survivors.[12]

The research protocol was approved by the Ethical Committee of the MISAU and authorized by IND, MMAS and provincial authorities in both provinces. IND supported the implementation of the survey by providing letters of support to accompany funding requests submitted by HI in partnership with RAVIM.[13] Results were expected to be published by July 2013 and to inform the development of a national victim assistance plan. Once published, MMAS expected to present the results to the National Disability Council.[14]

Victim assistance coordination in 2012[15]

There were no coordination meetings specifically for victim assistance held in Mozambique in 2012.[16] The mandate of the IND for victim assistance was limited to data collection on mine/ERW casualties and the ongoing maintenance of this data within the IMSMA database. The MMAS coordinated meetings to develop the National Disability Plan 2012–2019 and to collect information from relevant actors to monitor the annual implementation of the plan.[17] However, the IND convened a Mine Action Coordination Article 5 Completion Workshop in November 2012 where RAVIM raised discussion on the need for better information gathering, better needs assessment and better services for landmine survivors.[18] The IND also participated in meetings held by the MMAS and recommended the inclusion of assistance for landmine survivors in the National Disability Plan.[19]

The National Disability Council held one high-level meeting as well as four meetings of the technical committee during 2012. The purpose of the meetings included the approval of the annual report of the Disability Council for 2011, the approval of activities for 2012, the announcement of the approval of the National Disability Plan, and assessments of the implementation of the 2008 accessibility decree and of the accessibility of public transportation.[20]

On 4 September 2012, the second National Disability Plan for 2012–2019 was approved by the Council of Ministers.[21] The plan was developed in consultation with national and provincial representatives of relevant government ministries and civil society organizations, facilitated by the MMAS, the Mozambique Federation of Associations for Persons with Disabilities (FAMOD) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). The conclusions and recommendations from the evaluation of the previous National Disability Plan were considered. The three main objectives of the plan are:

·         To promote the participation, empowerment, and equality of persons with disabilities;

·         To assure equal rights and opportunities for persons with disabilities; and

·         To monitor and harmonize all programs and activities carried out for persons with disabilities, particularly those of civil society organizations.[22]

The plan includes a specific section (section 11) related to assistance for landmine survivors. The objective for this section is to “Provide psychosocial support and socioeconomic reintegration for mine victims with disabilities.”[23] The projected budget for the seven activities assisting survivors, over a period of three years, is 17,500,000 Mozambican metical or approximately US$590,000.[24]

The plan identifies actors responsible for each objective, makes cost projections, and includes a plan for monitoring its implementation. In the section on assistance for landmine survivors, the IND is designated as a “key actor” in the monitoring of the plan’s implementation.[25] As of October 2012, funding had not been identified to cover the costs of the plan.[26] Implementation and monitoring of the plan was said to have started as soon as the plan was approved in September 2012.[27] While recognizing that it may have been too early to draw conclusions, by March 2013 RAVIM saw no evidence of its implementation “on the ground” and found that the plan appeared to be “mere intentions” only.[28]

Mozambique provided an update on progress and challenges for victim assistance at the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Oslo in September 2012, the Twelfth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Geneva in December 2012, and at the Mine Ban Treaty intersessional meetings in Geneva in May 2013.[29] In its Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report for calendar year 2012, Mozambique provided casualty data and limited information on emergency medical response to new casualties.[30] In its Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 report for calendar year 2012, Mozambique named the victim assistance focal point, provided an update on the approval of its National Disability Plan 2012–2019 and indicated the need for international financial and technical assistance to aid in the implementation of that plan.[31]

Inclusion and participation in victim assistance

There was no functioning victim assistance coordinating mechanism in which landmine and ERW survivors could participate.[32] However, survivors as well as other persons with disabilities were involved in the development of the National Disability Plan directly through RAVIM and through FAMOD.[33] FAMOD, as the national federation through which all organizations of persons with disabilities can have a voice, was identified as part of the monitoring mechanism for the disability plan.[34]

Survivors participated in the assessment of survivors’ needs through RAVIM.[35] RAVIM also worked with HI in urban centers implementing an information and referral service (Serviço de Informação, Orientação e Acompanhamento Social, SIOAS) designed to identify persons with disabilities, including survivors, and accompanying them in accessing needed assistance.[36]

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Victim assistance activities[37]

Emergency and continuing medical care

No changes were identified in the quality or availability of emergency or ongoing medical care. Both persons who were injured by mines/ERW in 2012 were treated in local medical centers.[38]

Physical rehabilitation including prosthetics

While all rehabilitation centers remained open through the country in 2012, the number of people able to access new prosthetic devices declined significantly due to a lack of raw materials. At the largest rehabilitation center in the country located in Maputo, new prosthetics were not available during the entire year. Technicians were only able to provide physiotherapy services or make adjustments to existing prosthetics.[39] The number of residential or transit centers hosting persons with disabilities from rural areas while accessing rehabilitation services reduced from seven in 2011 to five in 2012.[40]

Economic and social inclusion and psychological support

Psychological support and social inclusion programs remained entirely absent with no changes reported.[41] Through the SIOAS, members of RAVIM and other organizations of persons with disabilities provided peer support. Started in 2011, this referral service assisted over 600 persons with disabilities, including survivors, through the end of 2012.[42]

Due to a lack of funding, in 2012 RAVIM closed the project started in 2011 to support income-generating activities for survivors and their families in Sofala province.[43] No other economic inclusion initiatives were identified that targeted survivors while being inclusive of all persons with disabilities.

Limited government initiatives continued to assist some persons with disabilities in initiating income-generating activities and the number of persons with disabilities working in the public sector increased, although modestly compared with the number of persons with disabilities in the overall population.[44]

As in previous years, MMAS continued to provide food subsidies and other basic social assistance to persons with disabilities.[45] However, there was no information on how many, if any, of these beneficiaries were mine/ERW survivors and RAVIM found that most survivors lacked any support to promote their economic inclusion.[46] As part of the Strategy for Persons with Disabilities in Public Service, MMAS provided job training, managed a database of public sector jobs, and worked to promote employment for persons with disabilities through a quota system within the public sector.[47]

Laws and policies

Legislation guaranteed the rights and equal opportunities of persons with disabilities. However, the government lacked the resources to implement the law and discrimination remained common.[48] The law required the accessibility of public buildings and the Ministry of Public Works made slow progress in ensuring access to public buildings in Maputo for persons with disabilities.[49] Some accessibility adaptations did not meet generally accepted standards, rendering them unusable for wheelchair users.[50] Public transportation in Maputo was free for persons with disabilities;[51] however there were no accessible buses and over-crowding prevented persons with disabilities from using them.[52]

The evaluation of the National Disability Plan 2006–2010 found that many programs for persons with disabilities sought to promote the inclusion of women with disabilities but that, despite these efforts, women with disabilities still suffered greater discrimination than men with disabilities, with more living in poverty and experiencing lower employment rates.[53] There were no age-appropriate services available for child survivors.[54] Teachers received training in 2012 to increase the availability of inclusive education,[55] though educational opportunities for children with disabilities were seen to be “poor.”[56]

Mozambique ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 30 January 2012.