The number of landmine
survivors continues to grow as new casualties are reported in every region of
the world.[42] In 2002 and through
June 2003, Landmine Monitor finds that there were new landmine casualties
reported in 65 countries; up from 61 countries reported in Landmine Monitor
Report 2002.[43] Landmine
Monitor also registered mine casualties in seven other areas that it monitors
because of their significant landmine
problem.[44] In calendar year 2002,
new landmine casualties were recorded in 61 countries and all seven areas. In
early 2003, mine casualties were recorded in another four
countries.[45]
Landmine Casualties January 2002-June 2003
Africa
Americas
Asia/Pacific
Europe/Central Asia
Middle East/North
Africa
Angola
Burundi
Chad
DR Congo
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Malawi
Mauritania
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Rwanda
Senegal
Somalia
Sudan
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Somaliland
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Nicaragua
Perú
Afghanistan
Burma (Myanmar)
Cambodia
China
India
Indonesia
Korea, DPR
Korea, RO
Laos
Nepal
Pakistan
Philippines
Sri Lanka
Thailand
Vietnam
Albania
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Bosnia&Herzegovina
Croatia
Georgia
Greece
Kyrgyzstan
FYR Macedonia
Russia
Serbia&Montenegro
Tajikistan
Turkey
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
Abkhazia
Chechnya
Kosovo
Nagorno-Karabakh
Algeria
Egypt
Iran
Iraq
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Syria
Tunisia
Yemen
Palestine
Western Sahara
Bold: Non-States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty
Compared to last year’s Landmine Monitor Report, there are eight
new countries with reported mine casualties: Belarus, China, Indonesia, Malawi,
Niger, North Korea, Tunisia, and Zambia. There are four countries that had
reported casualties previously, but not in this time period: Armenia,
Bangladesh, Cuba, and Poland.
In addition to countries reporting landmine casualties, Landmine Monitor
recorded nine countries with new casualties in 2002-2003 that were caused by
unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from earlier conflicts: Republic of Congo,
Czech Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Nigeria, Poland, and
Slovakia.
Scale of the Problem
While acknowledging that it is not possible to know
with absolute certainty, it is likely that there are between 15,000 and 20,000
new landmine casualties each year. Progress has been made since the Mine Ban
Treaty entered into force, nevertheless, landmines continue to claim too many
new casualties in too many countries. Based on the information gathered for
Landmine Monitor Report 2003, it is clear that:
Landmines continue to pose a significant, lasting and non-discriminatory
threat;
Civilians account for the vast majority of new landmine casualties; only 15
percent of reported casualties in 2002 were identified as military personnel;
Not only mine-affected countries have a problem with landmines; nationals
from 39 countries (including 15 mine-free countries) were killed or injured by
landmines while outside their own borders.
In 2002-2003, as shown in the table, mine casualties are still occurring in
every region of the world: in twenty countries in sub-Saharan Africa, in fifteen
Asia-Pacific countries, in fifteen countries in Europe and Central Asia, in ten
countries in the Middle East and North Africa, and in five countries in the
Americas. Ongoing conflict is a significant problem in some of these countries,
but Landmine Monitor finds that 41 of the 65 countries that suffered new mine
casualties in 2002-2003 had not experienced any active conflict during the
research period. In many cases, the conflict had ended a decade or more
ago.
For seven of the eight countries added to the list, the reason for inclusion
was that new incidents of mine casualties were reported, rather than the onset
of a new or ongoing conflict.
Several mine-affected countries are not on the list reporting new mine
casualties. It is possible that there were mine incidents in some of these
other countries; however, there was a lack of tangible evidence to confirm new
casualties.
In 2002-2003, the following countries had nationals killed or injured by
mines/UXO while abroad engaged in military or demining operations, peacekeeping,
or other activities: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Australia, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, The Gambia,
Germany, India, Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Perú, Poland, Romania,
Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Somalia, South Africa, Switzerland, Syria,
Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America,
and Zimbabwe.
In 2002 and the first half of 2003, mine accidents during clearance
operations or in training exercises caused casualties among deminers and
soldiers in Abkhazia, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cambodia, Colombia,
Croatia, DR Congo, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, South Korea, Kuwait,
Laos, Lebanon, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Perú, Philippines, Russia
(Chechnya), Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, US, Vietnam, and Yemen. There were
also unconfirmed reports of demining casualties in other countries.
Casualty Data Collection
Landmine Monitor identified over 11,700 new
landmine/UXO casualties in calendar year
2002.[46] This included at least
2,649 children (23 percent) and 192 women (2
percent).[47] Less than 15 percent
of reported casualties were identified as military personnel. It is important
to remember, however, that the 11,700 figure represents the reported
casualties and does not take into account the many casualties that are believed
to go unreported, as innocent civilians are killed or injured in remote areas
away from any form of assistance or means of communication.
Comprehensive data on landmine/UXO casualties is difficult to obtain,
particularly in countries experiencing ongoing conflict, or with minefields in
remote areas, or with limited resources to monitor public health services. The
sources used to identify new casualties include databases, government records,
hospital records, media reports, surveys, assessments, and interviews.
The reported casualty rate declined in 2002 from 2001 in the majority of
mine-affected countries. Where an increase was reported in 2002 this generally
appears to be due to population movements within affected areas (Cambodia), or
to a new or expanded conflict (India and Palestine). In other mine-affected
countries, the increase appears to be largely the result of improved data
collection: Burma, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Republic of Korea,
Pakistan, and Thailand. In Chechnya and Colombia, both factors contributed to
significantly higher numbers of reported casualties.
In several mine-affected countries, mine incident and casualty data is
collected and stored using the Information Management System for Mine Action
(IMSMA) or other comparable databases. Of the 65 countries, and seven areas,
reporting new mine casualties in 2002-2003, only 25 countries and four areas
report using IMSMA, or other databases, to record casualty data. Of those, only
18 countries and two areas provided Landmine Monitor with full year data. Even
with a functioning data collection system in place it is believed that not all
mine casualties are reported. IMSMA has the capacity to record mine casualty
data; however a reported lack of human and financial resources sometimes
prevents this facility from being used effectively. The principal collectors of
mine casualty data are the mine action centers, the ICRC, UNICEF, and a number
of NGOs.
Although Landmine Monitor considers that in some instances reported casualty
figures are incomplete and understated, a sampling of the findings for calendar
year 2002 from countries and areas with established mine casualty databases
follows:
In Afghanistan, 1,286 casualties recorded, down from 1,445 in 2001. It is
still, however, estimated that there are around 150 new casualties each
month;
In Cambodia, 834 casualties recorded, up from 829 in 2001;
In Colombia, 530 casualties reported, up 145 percent from the 216 reported
in 2001;
In Iraq, 457 casualties recorded in the northern governorates, up from 360
in 2001;
In Angola, 287 casualties recorded, down from 673 in 2001, however, NGOs and
UN sources report a dramatic increase in mine incidents;
In Sri Lanka, 142 casualties recorded, down from 207 in 2001, although the
data is reportedly incomplete;
In Pakistan, 111 casualties reported, up from 92 in 2001;
In Laos, 99 casualties recorded, down from 122 in 2001, however, it is not
clear whether the reduction is due to fewer incidents or a reduced capacity to
collect data;
In Eritrea, 78 casualties recorded in the Temporary Security Zone, down from
154 in 2001;
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 72 casualties recorded, down from 87 in
2001;
In Ethiopia, 67 casualties reported, down from 71 in 2001 (data is only
available for the Tigray and Afar regions);
In Senegal, 56 casualties reported, the same number as in 2001;
In Mozambique, 47 casualties recorded, down from 80 in 2001;
In Lebanon, 42 casualties reported, down from 85 in 2001;
In Kosovo, 15 casualties recorded, down from 22 in 2001;
In Croatia, 29 casualties recorded, down from 30 in 2001;
In Nicaragua, 15 casualties recorded, down from 19 in 2001;
In Nagorno-Karabakh, 15 casualties recorded, down from 18 in 2001;
In Albania, 7 casualties recorded, down from 8 in 2001;
In FYR Macedonia, 4 casualties recorded, down from 38 in
2001.
In other mine-affected countries, limited data on landmine/UXO casualties is
collected from government ministries and agencies, international agencies and
NGOs, hospitals, media reports, and country campaigns of the ICBL. In some
cases, available data is well below the estimates of the number of people killed
or injured by landmines each year. For example, in Burma estimates have
previously been as high as 1,500 casualties a year. In Chechnya, the Ministry
of Health released casualty data for the first time, reporting new mine and UXO
casualties that exceeded previously available statistics.
In Chechnya, 5,695 mine and UXO casualties reported, up from 2,140 in
2001;
In India, 523 casualties reported, up from 332 in 2001;
In Chad, 200 casualties reported, up from 10 recorded in IMSMA in 2001;
In Nepal, 177 civilian mine and improvised explosive device casualties
reported, including 46 children;
In Vietnam, 166 casualties reported, down from 237 in 2001, however,
estimates include 1,110 people killed and 1,882 injured every year “on
average;”
In Burundi, 114 civilian casualties, down from 116 in 2001;
In Burma (Myanmar), 114 casualties reported, up from 57 in 2001;
In Georgia, 70 casualties reported, down from 98 in 2001;
In Sudan, 68 casualties reported by a limited number of sources;
In Palestine, 57 casualties reported, up from 20 in 2001;
In Somalia, 53 casualties reported by a limited number of sources;
In Turkey, 40 casualties reported, down from 58 in 2001;
In Thailand, 36 casualties reported, up from 24 in 2001;
In Guinea-Bissau, 33 casualties reported, up from 8 in 2001;
In Iran, 32 civilian casualties reported, up from 18 civilians in 2001;
In DR Congo, 32 casualties reported, down from 135 in 2001;
In Yemen, 22 casualties reported, up from 21 in 2001;
In Namibia, 19 casualties reported, down from 50 in 2001;
In Jordan, 15 casualties reported, up from 8 in 2001;
In the Republic of Korea, 15 casualties reported, up from 4 in 2001;
In Tajikistan, 9 casualties reported, down from 29 in 2001;
In Uganda, 7 casualties reported, down from 32 in 2001;
In Serbia and Montenegro, 5 casualties reported, down from 32 in
2001.
Casualties continue to be reported in 2003. For example in Afghanistan, 412
new casualties were reported to 30 June; in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 27 new
casualties to 9 May; in Cambodia, 371 new casualties reported to the end of May;
and in Sri Lanka, 12 new casualties were reported in January. In Iraq, the
mine/UXO casualty rate rose considerably due to the hostilities. During March
and April the number of reported mine/UXO casualties increased by 90 percent in
the north compared to the same period in 2002. In 2003 through May, 493 new
mine/UXO casualties were recorded in the northern region.
Addressing the Needs of Survivors
A landmine incident can cause various injuries to
an individual including the loss of limbs, abdominal, chest and spinal injuries,
blindness, deafness, and less visible psychological trauma not only to the
person injured in the incident, but to the families of those killed or injured.
The Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and
Socio-Economic Reintegration promotes a comprehensive integrated approach to
victim assistance that rests on a three-tiered definition of a landmine victim.
This means that a “mine victim” includes directly affected
individuals, their families, and mine-affected communities. Consequently,
victim assistance is viewed as a wide range of activities that benefit
individuals, families and communities.
However, throughout the Landmine Monitor Report 2003 the term
Survivor Assistance is used in the country reports to describe activities
aimed at the individuals directly affected by a landmine incident. The use of
the term survivor is intended to emphasize this distinction.
The Mine Ban Treaty requires, in Article 6, Paragraph 3, that “Each
State in a position to do so shall provide assistance for the care and
rehabilitation, and social and economic reintegration, of mine
victims....” In many mine-affected countries the assistance available to
address the needs of survivors is inadequate and it would appear that additional
outside assistance is needed to provide for the care and rehabilitation of mine
survivors.
The number of landmine/UXO survivors requiring assistance continues to grow
every year. The exact number of mine survivors in the world is unknown,
although previous estimates suggest there could be more than 300,000. Through
Landmine Impact Surveys and increased data collection more information is
becoming available. For example, in Afghanistan the database now contains
information on 5,405 people injured in mine incidents since 1998, in Bosnia and
Herzegovina the database records 3,871 people injured since 1992, and in
Cambodia the database records 38,875 people injured since 1979.
In addition to the new casualties registered in 2002-2003, Landmine Monitor
has identified 42 other countries with, in medical terms, a “residual
caseload” of landmine survivors from previous years. In other words, many
countries with no new reported landmine casualties nevertheless have landmine
survivors from prior years that continue to require assistance. Consequently,
almost two-thirds of the countries in the world – 124 countries including
those with nationals injured abroad – are affected to some extent by the
landmine/UXO problem and the issue of survivors.
The Mine Ban Treaty sets no time frame for mine victim assistance, as it does
for mine clearance and stockpile destruction. The needs of landmine survivors
are long-term, in many instances lasting a lifetime. A landmine survivor will
require ongoing medical and rehabilitation services, and services assisting
their socioeconomic reintegration and psychological well-being. For amputees,
prostheses wear-out, and need repairs or replacement. Medical problems can
resurface years after the original incident. Similarly, socioeconomic
reintegration is not always easily achievable or sustainable. Vocational
training programs and other methods to facilitate economic reintegration
struggle to succeed in economies facing high levels of unemployment in the
general population.
To ensure sustainability, assistance to landmine survivors should be viewed
as a part of a country’s overall public health and social services system.
Within those general systems, deliberate care must be built in to ensure that
landmine survivors and other persons with disability receive the same
opportunities in life – for health care, social services, a
life-sustaining income, education, and participation in the community – as
every other sector of a society. The ultimate goal of survivor assistance
programs should be the complete rehabilitation of mine survivors and their
reintegration into the wider community. Providing resources to support programs
that address the needs of landmine survivors is in effect assisting to build the
infrastructure that will benefit all persons with disabilities in a
mine-affected country.
Capacities of Affected States to Provide Assistance to Landmine Survivors
The principal actors in landmine victim assistance
generally agree that assistance includes the following
components:[48]
Pre-hospital Care (first aid and management of injuries)
Hospital Care (medical care, surgery, pain management)
Rehabilitation (physiotherapy, prosthetic appliances and assistive devices,
psychological support)
Social and Economic Reintegration (associations of persons with
disabilities, skills and vocational training, income generating projects,
sports)
Disability policy and practice (education and public awareness and
disability laws)
Health and Social Welfare Surveillance and Research capacities (data
collection, processing, analysis, and reporting)
A detailed analysis of efforts and capacities of mine-affected States to
address the needs of landmine survivors, and persons with disabilities in
general, is beyond the scope of the research undertaken for Landmine
Monitor.[49] Based on a purely
quantitative analysis of the information available in the Landmine Monitor
Report 2003, it would appear that most countries have facilities to address
some of the needs of landmine survivors. However, Landmine Monitor has
identified 48 mine-affected countries with new mine casualties in 2002 where one
or more aspects of survivor assistance are reportedly inadequate. This is also
the case for the seven mine-affected areas on which Landmine Monitor reports.
Even when services exist, they are often long distances from mine-affected
areas, making them inaccessible to many survivors, are too expensive for
survivors to afford, or are bureaucratically off-limits to one group or another.
From the research collected in 2002-2003, several general observations can be
made:
Most services are still located in urban centers, but the majority of mine
survivors can be found in rural areas where the concentration of mine pollution
is greatest;
The majority of resources continues to be directed towards medical and
physical rehabilitation;
The availability of assistance in psycho-social support and economic
reintegration continues to be limited;
International organizations, NGOs, and UN agencies continue to play a key
role in the delivery of services to mine survivors;
Local NGOs often lack the financial resources to continue programs after
international organizations have withdrawn;
On-going conflict and the consequent security concerns in some mine-affected
countries severely limit the ability of the government and international
agencies to provide assistance to landmine survivors;
The economic situation of many mine-affected countries remains an obstacle
to the provision of adequate assistance to landmine survivors;
The development of programs that address the long-term needs of landmine
survivors, and other persons with disability, is hampered by the practice of
some donors to only fund programs for a limited period of time. A commitment to
long-term funding is needed to ensure sustainability and to build local
capacities to continue the programs;
In a positive development, more mine-affected States are now taking, or have
taken, steps to develop a plan of action to address the needs of mine survivors,
or more generally to improve rehabilitation services for all persons with
disabilities.
Emergency and Continuing Medical Care
In 2002 and the first half of 2003, at least 1,491 landmine casualties were
identified in hospital records, including 364 casualties in Africa, 21 in
Americas, 954 in Asia/Pacific, 17 in Europe/Central Asia, and 135 in Middle
East/North Africa.
In Albania, the health infrastructure in mine-affected areas is inadequate
for the treatment and rehabilitation of mine survivors.
In Angola, less than 30 percent of the population has access to health care,
and few facilities are available for mine survivors and other persons with
disabilities.
In Iraq, some health facilities lack running water and constant electricity
supplies, equipment has not been properly maintained, and there is a lack of
well-trained and experienced health care workers.
In Nepal, three of the eight hospitals providing assistance to mine/IED
casualties reported difficulties in providing treatment due to financial
constraints.
In Yemen, 132 mine survivors received various forms of medical assistance
from government-organized programs.
Physical Rehabilitation
In 2002 and 2003, Landmine Monitor identified a total of 128,348 patients or
services in the area of physical rehabilitation, including at least 15,994
services for landmine survivors. This includes 34,647 services in Africa, at
least 1,994 for survivors; 320 services in Americas, at least 280 for survivors;
52,000 services in Asia/Pacific, at least 9,619 for survivors; 37,815 services
in Europe/Central Asia, at least 3,423 for survivors; and 3,566 services in
Middle East/North Africa, at least 678 for survivors.
In Angola, the Ministry of Health is developing a national policy for
physical rehabilitation.
In Kosovo, the Ministry of Health has appointed an officer for physical
medicine and rehabilitation to strengthen the rehabilitation sector.
In Somaliland, the recent Landmine Impact Survey found that of 184 recent
mine survivors, most had received emergency medical care but very few had
received rehabilitation.
In Syria, emergency and rehabilitation services will be improved in the
mine-affected area with the opening of a community rehabilitation center, a
physiotherapy center, and the construction of a 120-bed
hospital.
Prosthetics/Orthotics/Assistive Devices
In 2002, ICRC prosthetic/orthotic centers produced 16,921 prostheses
(including 10,098 for landmine survivors), 13,365 orthoses (including 101 for
mine survivors), 17,052 pairs of crutches, and 1,598
wheelchairs.[50] According to data
collected by Landmine Monitor, NGOs and other agencies working in mine-affected
countries also produced or distributed at least 20,651 prostheses, 9,480
orthoses, 13,705 crutches, 3,019 wheelchairs, 25,206 other assistive devices and
components, and repaired 975 prostheses; at least 5,727 devices were for mine
survivors.
In Algeria, the Ben Aknoun prosthetic/orthotic center began production and
assisted 61 mine survivors during the year, the majority of which were mine
survivors from Western Sahara.
In Chechnya, the Grozny Prosthetic/Orthotic Center started production.
In Ethiopia, a physiotherapy unit and gait-training area is being developed
to expand and improve the quality of services available at the Dessie orthopedic
center.
In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the ICRC launched an
amputee rehabilitation program in a newly renovated prosthetic center in
Songrim.
In India, civilian mine survivors living in remote border villages have no
access to rehabilitation services; however, the government has indicated its
support for the rehabilitation of survivors, including their socioeconomic
reintegration.
In Georgia, the Tbilisi Orthopedic Center had 458 amputees on its waiting
list for services as at the end of December 2002.
In Namibia, the ICRC-upgraded Rundu prosthetic/orthotic workshop began
production.
Psycho-social Support
Landmine Monitor recorded 10,965 people that received psycho-social support,
including at least 3,074 survivors. This included 3,618 people in Africa, at
least 1,152 landmine survivors; 183 in Americas, at least 60 survivors; 833 in
Asia/Pacific, at least 522 survivors; 5,904 in Europe/Central Asia, at least
1,127 survivors; and 427 in Middle East/North Africa, at least 213 survivors.
In Perú, a new society, the Association of Victims and Survivors of
Landmines, has been created.
In Russia, the St. Petersburg Elks participated in the first World Standing
Amputee Ice Hockey Championships in Helsinki; seven mine survivors are on the
team.
Vocational Training and Economic Reintegration
Landmine Monitor recorded 1,975 people assisted with vocational training
and/or economic reintegration, including at least 824 survivors. This included
541 people in Africa, at least 417 survivors; 244 in Americas, at least 154
survivors; 778 in Asia/Pacific, at least 150 survivors; 313 in Europe/Central
Asia, at least 99 survivors; and 99 in Middle East/North Africa, at least four
mine survivors.
Although many mine survivors and actors in survivor assistance regard
vocational training, opportunities for employment, and economic reintegration as
a high priority, there is little evidence to show concrete progress in this
area.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a survey of around 1,200 mine survivors in Bosnia
and Herzegovina revealed that 31 percent of respondents regard the lack of
employment opportunities and economic reintegration as their main concern.
In DR Congo, a social fund for mine survivors was created at the level of
the Presidency.
In Lebanon, more attention is reportedly needed on employment and economic
reintegration activities.
In Nicaragua, the government called for stronger socioeconomic reintegration
efforts to assist mine survivors.
In Sri Lanka, the UNDP Disability Assistance Project was started in Jaffna
to promote the economic reintegration of mine survivors and other persons with
physical disabilities.
In Vietnam, 60 percent of survivors in Quang Tri have “poverty
cards” identifying them as below the national poverty
line.
Capacity Building
At least 4,256 surgeons, nurses, first aid providers, prosthetic/orthotic
technicians and physical therapists received training in 2002. This included
3,186 local healthcare providers in Africa, 16 in Americas, 932 in Asia/Pacific,
122 in Europe/Central Asia, and an unknown number in Middle East/North
Africa.
In Eritrea, the UNDP Capacity Building Program in Victim Assistance is
working with the government to build national capacity to provide adequate
assistance to mine survivors.
In Jordan, an amputation surgery workshop was held for surgeons from the
Ministry of Health and the Hussein Medical Center.
Disability Rights
Landmine survivor assistance, as with assistance for all persons with
disabilities, is more than just a medical and rehabilitation issue; it is also a
human rights issue. Until this is recognized and addressed people with a
disability will continue to face significant barriers to their social and
economic reintegration.
In Afghanistan, the Transitional Islamic Government established the National
Disabled Commission, which will draft a comprehensive law on the rights of
persons with disabilities.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the “Development Strategy for BiH: PRSP
(poverty reduction strategy policy) and Social Protection of People with
Disabilities” includes a proposal for a law on the protection of people
with disabilities, without distinction to the cause of disability.
In Croatia, the Parliament passed a resolution accepting a new national
strategy aimed at improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities,
without distinction to the cause of disability.
Data Collection
In mine-affected country reports in this Landmine Monitor Report 2003,
information is provided on the facilities that have been identified as assisting
landmine survivors and other persons with disabilities. Many of these
facilities were asked to report on how many people were assisted in 2002, and
how many were landmine survivors. Landmine Monitor was not always able to get
this information and some facilities do not keep records on the cause of injury,
as all persons with disabilities are treated equally. Some facilities reported
not having the capacity to record any form of data. Nevertheless, while
acknowledging that the data is far from complete, it does give an indication of
where additional attention may be needed in landmine survivor assistance. It is
also recognized that the figures presented in the preceding sections do not
represent the total number of individuals assisted, as one person may have
accessed several of the services recorded.
In Cambodia, an external evaluation of the Cambodia Mine/UXO Victim
Information System (CMVIS) reported that the system is “unique in the
world in terms of coverage and detail.”
In Colombia, as part of the Comprehensive Action Against Antipersonnel Mines
(AIMCA), the OAS Mine Action Program in Colombia supported the implementation of
the Antipersonnel Mines Observatory to record and monitor information on mine
casualties and mine survivors.
In El Salvador, a recent census by the Association of War Wounded of El
Salvador identified around 3,700 landmine survivors.
Coordination and Planning
Following the results of an UNMAS consultative process undertaken on behalf
of the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration,
coordination and planning by mine-affected States was identified as a key
priority to ensure adequate assistance for mine survivors. In a positive
development, more mine-affected States are now taking, or have taken, steps to
develop a plan of action to address the needs of mine survivors, or more
generally to improve rehabilitation services for all persons with
disabilities.
In Albania, the Albanian Mines Action Executive (AMAE) has appointed an MRE
and victim assistance officer to coordinate activities and develop a plan of
action for addressing the needs of mine survivors.
In Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) has
appointed a victim assistance officer to coordinate activities of the Mine
Victim Assistance Working Group and develop a long-term assistance program.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Mine Action Center plans to establish a mine
victim assistance coordination group to develop a plan of action.
In Chile, the government announced that survivor assistance would be an
integral part of the new National Demining Commission’s work.
In Guinea-Bissau, the National Mine Action Center organized its first
meeting to elaborate a national plan of action to support mine survivors.
In Laos, the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare held the Second National
Workshop on Victim Assistance to follow up on initiatives undertaken in
2001.
In Mozambique, the National Demining Institute’s Five Year National
Mine Action Plan (2002-2006) affirms its coordinating role in mine victim
assistance.
In Rwanda, a national plan for the rehabilitation of persons with a physical
disability was drafted.
In Slovenia, the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims
Assistance facilitated a regional study on mine victim assistance in the Balkans
to identify gaps and promote regional cooperation.
In Somalia, a Minister of Disabled and Rehabilitation was named in the new
cabinet of the Transitional National Government.
In Sudan, the National Mine Action Office has recruited a Victim Assistance
Officer to assist in capacity building and develop a plan of action for victim
assistance.
In Thailand, a comprehensive model for victim assistance has been designed;
however, the national plan of action recommended in November 2001 has not been
completed.
In Zimbabwe, a Victims Assistance, Rehabilitation, Reintegration, and
Resettlement Office was established as part of the Zimbabwe Mine Action
Center.
International Developments
The Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and
Socio-Economic Reintegration (SC-VA) has been co-chaired by Colombia and France
since September 2002 and the co-rapporteurs are Australia and Croatia (who will
become co-chairs in September 2003). Two intersessional meetings of the SC-VA
were held in February and May 2003. More information on the Standing Committee
on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration, including texts of
presentations, is available at
www.gichd.ch.
In 2003, the SC-VA continued to identify practical means to assist States
Parties in meeting their obligations under the Mine Ban Treaty in relation to
mine victim assistance. It placed an increased emphasis on hearing concrete
plans of action from mine-affected States for the care and rehabilitation of
landmine survivors. The SC-VA focused on the priority areas for victim
assistance identified during an UNMAS consultative process in 2002: emergency
and continuing medical care; physical rehabilitation / prosthetics;
psychological and social support; economic reintegration; and laws, public
policies and national planning. Fifteen States Parties presented their plans,
progress and priorities for mine victim assistance, and their problems in
meeting needs, to the SC-VA during its 2003 meetings (Afghanistan, Albania,
Cambodia, Chad, Colombia, Croatia, DR Congo, Djibouti, El Salvador, Namibia,
Nicaragua, Rwanda, Senegal, Tajikistan, and Zambia), as well as Turkey, a
non-State Party.
Eleven States Parties reported on their policies and initiatives to support
mine-affected States in providing funding and other assistance to mine victims
(Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Hungary, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand,
Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom). In February, the SC-VA welcomed four
survivors from Thailand and two survivors from Laos, taking part in the
Raising the Voices initiative. At the May meetings, ten Raising the
Voices participants from Afghanistan, Cambodia, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka
participated and made focused and substantive interventions.
The ICBL’s Working Group on Victim Assistance (WGVA) participated in
the SC-VA 2003 meetings. Its co-chair (Landmine Survivors Network) and the
Landmine Monitor thematic research coordinator on victim assistance gave
presentations on aspects of progress in the implementation of Article 6.3. In
May 2003, representatives of the WGVA met with several NGOs working in
prosthetics and orthotics to develop a joint strategy and specific plans to
strengthen coordination, collaboration, and long-term planning in mine-affected
countries. Details on the WGVA are available at
www.icbl.org.
Voluntary Form J of the Article 7 transparency report, developed by the
SC-VA, allows States Parties to report on victim assistance measures, mine
action activities, and any other matters. As of 31 July 2003, a total of 27
States Parties submitted Form J with their Article 7 reports for 2002, including
eleven mine-affected States Parties (Albania, Cambodia, Colombia, Ecuador,
Malawi, Mozambique, Perú, Philippines, Tajikistan, Thailand, and
Zimbabwe) and 16 non-affected States Parties (Australia, Austria, Belgium,
Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, México, Netherlands, New
Zealand, Norway, Slovakia, South Africa, and
Sweden).[51] In addition, three
mine-affected States Parties (Guinea-Bissau, Nicaragua, and Yemen) provided
casualty and victim assistance information in Form I of their Article 7 reports.
Among the 29 countries where UNICEF is supporting mine action, eleven have
survivor assistance components. UNICEF focuses on access of mine survivors and
other people with disability to services and programs, rather than on service
provision itself. It advocates for and with mine survivors and other people
with disabilities to ensure their voices are heard, rights respected, basic
needs met and that they are able to fully participate in their societies.
In December 2001, the United Nations General Assembly agreed to establish an
Ad Hoc Committee to consider proposals for an international convention to
“promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with
disabilities.”[52] The Ad Hoc
Committee first met from 29 July to 9 August 2002 and again from 16-27 June
2003, where it agreed to establish a Working Group to prepare and present a
draft text for the “Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on
Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with
Disabilities.” The Working Group will be comprised of 27 governmental
representatives and 12 NGO representatives, particularly organizations of, and
for, persons with disabilities. The Working Group is scheduled to meet for ten
days in early 2004 to prepare the draft text, which will then be discussed at
the Third Session of the Ad Hoc Committee in May/June
2004.[53]
In addition to governments, participants in the Ad Hoc Committeemeetings included representatives from NGOs, academic institutions, legal
experts, specialists in disabilities, and people with a disability, including
those representing mine survivors. In a scenario reminiscent of negotiations
for the Mine Ban Treaty, the active participation of civil society, and people
with disabilities themselves, has made a significant contribution to the
progress achieved so far.
[42] For the purposes of Landmine Monitor
research, casualties include the individual killed or injured as a result of an
incident involving antipersonnel mines, antivehicle mines, improvised explosive
devices, dud cluster munitions, and other unexploded ordnance. From the
information available in many countries it is not always possible to determine
with certainty the type of weapon that caused the incident. Where this level of
detail is available, information is included in the country
report. [43] Landmine Monitor Report 2002
recorded 61 countries with mine/UXO casualties and nine with UXO
casualties. [44] These include Abkhazia,
Chechnya, Kosovo, Nagorno-Karabakh, Palestine, Somaliland, and Western Sahara.
Northern Iraq is no longer being reported separately from the rest of
Iraq. [45] Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi and
Niger recorded landmine casualties in early 2003. Kenya and Kyrgyzstan also
recorded casualties caused by UXO in
2002. [46] Landmine Monitor identified 9,405
new mine/UXO casualties in calendar year 2001, including revised statistics
obtained from various sources during the course of research for this
year’s report. The significantly larger number of reported casualties in
2002 is attributable to improved data collection in a few mine-affected
countries, rather than an actual increase in the number of casualties. Most
notably, the reported number of casualties in Chechnya in 2002 is 5,695,
compared to 2,140 in 2001, yet there is no evidence that the number of mine
incidents or casualties increased dramatically during 2002. Previously,
official data was not available for Chechnya. The 2002 figure was reported by
the Chechen Ministry of Health. [47] The
figures for mine casualties involving women and children should be viewed as a
minimum; in many instances this level of detail was not made available to
Landmine Monitor. [48] For further
information, see ICBL Working Group on Victim Assistance, Guidelines for the
Care and Rehabilitation of Survivors; see also, Providing assistance to landmine
victims: A collection of guidelines, best practices and methodologies, compiled
by the Co-Chairs of the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance, Socio-Economic
Reintegration and Mine Awareness, May
2001. [49] More detailed information is
compiled by Handicap International in Landmine Victim Assistance: World Report
2002 which examines a wide range of indicators to determine a State’s
capacity to adequately address the needs of persons with disabilities, including
landmine survivors. [50] ICRC Physical
Rehabilitation Programs, “Annual Report 2002,” Geneva, June
2003. [51] In addition, Bulgaria, DR Congo,
Denmark, Jamaica, Romania, and Rwanda submitted the Form J to report on other
issues. [52] UNGA Resolution
56/168. [53] For more information see
www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/rights/;
see also www.rightsforall.com.