The objective of the Mine Ban Treaty is to alleviate human suffering, and
progress has been made since the Mine Ban Treaty entered into force. The number
of reported new mine casualties has dropped significantly in some heavily
mine-affected countries. From 1999 to September 2004, Landmine Monitor has
recorded more than 42,500 new landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) casualties
from incidents in at least 75 countries. However, many casualties go unreported
and the full number of casualties is certainly much higher, probably in the
range of 15,000 to 20,000 new casualties a year. For 2003, Landmine Monitor
identified over 8,065 new casualties, of which 23 percent were children.
Landmine Monitor has also identified another 25 countries with casualties caused
only by UXO. Landmine Monitor has identified more than 230,000 mine survivors
recorded in 97 countries and nine areas; some are from incidents dating back to
the end of the Second World War, but the vast majority of survivors are from the
mid-1970s onwards. Given the high number of casualties that likely have never
been recorded, it is reasonable to assume that there are somewhere between
300,000 and 400,000 mine survivors in the world today. Since 1999, greater
attention has been placed on the importance of accurate and up-to-date data on
mine casualties and mine survivors to better understand their needs and to
ensure that limited resources are used most effectively where the needs are
greatest.
Many countries with no new reported landmine casualties nevertheless have
landmine survivors that continue to require assistance. Consequently, around
two-thirds of the countries in the world – at least 121 countries –
are affected to some extent by the landmine/UXO problem and the issue of
survivors. In 53 of the 66 countries with new mine casualties in 2003, Landmine
Monitor identified one or more aspects of survivor assistance that are
reportedly inadequate to meet the needs of mine survivors and other persons with
disabilities. 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. Assistance in the area that has been identified as the top
priority for many mine survivors – socio-economic reintegration –
continues to be lacking in the majority of countries.
From the research undertaken by Landmine Monitor, it can be concluded that
since 1999 through the efforts of States Parties, the ICBL, the ICRC and NGOs in
the field, the Mine Ban Treaty has had an impact in raising awareness of the
rights and needs of mine survivors and has enabled mine survivors themselves to
advocate for services to address their needs. New programs have been
implemented in many mine-affected countries, and the survivors that have access
to these and other pre-existing services report an improved quality of
life. Nevertheless, significant gaps remain in areas such as geographic
coverage, affordability, and quality of available facilities. While more is
known about the numbers of mine survivors receiving assistance, the extent to
which landmine survivors’ needs are not being met is generally still
unknown. Furthermore, a lack of resources to implement or maintain
programs continues to limit activities.
The Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World in November/December 2004 marks an
important milestone in global efforts to alleviate the suffering caused by
antipersonnel landmines. Mine-affected States Parties, through the Standing
Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration, have shown a
greater willingness in the past few years to acknowledge their responsibilities
and to make their needs known through the presentation of their plans,
priorities, progress and problems in providing for the rehabilitation and
reintegration of mine survivors. At least 22 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 services for all persons with
disabilities. Some donor States are also acknowledging their responsibilities
to provide resources to assist mine-affected States in fulfilling their
obligations.[79] The draft Nairobi
Action Plan for the period 2005-2009 gives hope to mine survivors that the
promise implied by the Mine Ban Treaty for their “care and rehabilitation,
and social and economic reintegration,” can be realized.
It is without doubt that many mine survivors have benefited from the
increased attention given to the issue of victim assistance by States Parties
since 1999. There is a greater understanding of the extent of the problem, and
the knowledge that existing programs are far from meeting the needs. Progress
has been made since 1999, but challenges remain to ensure that mine survivor
assistance programs are adequate, appropriate and sustainable and that limited
resources are used to most effectively match services with needs so that all
mine survivors can benefit from the increased attention generated by the Mine
Ban Treaty.
New Casualties in 2003-2004
The number of landmine survivors continues to grow as new casualties are
reported in every region of the
world.[80] In 2003 and through
September 2004, Landmine Monitor finds that there were new landmine/UXO
casualties reported in 66 countries, one more than the number reported in
Landmine Monitor Report 2003. Landmine Monitor also registered mine
casualties in seven areas that it monitors because of a significant landmine
problem.[81] In calendar year 2003,
new landmine casualties were recorded in 65 countries and all seven areas. In
early 2004, new mine casualties were also recorded in Ecuador.
New Landmine Casualties January 2003-September 2004
Africa
Americas
Asia/Pacific
Europe/
Central Asia
Middle East/ North Africa
Angola
Bolivia
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Burundi
Chile
Burma (Myanmar)
Armenia
Egypt
Chad
Colombia
Cambodia
Azerbaijan
Iran
DR Congo
Ecuador
China
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Iraq
Eritrea
Nicaragua
India
Croatia
Jordan
Ethiopia
Perú
Indonesia
Cyprus
Kuwait
Guinea-Bissau
Korea, RO
Georgia
Lebanon
Kenya
Laos
Greece
Syria
Liberia
Nepal
Kyrgyzstan
Yemen
Malawi
Pakistan
FYR Macedonia
Palestine
Mauritania
Philippines
Russia
Western Sahara
Mozambique
Sri Lanka
Serbia & Montenegro
Namibia
Thailand
Tajikistan
Niger
Vietnam
Turkey
Rwanda
Ukraine
Senegal
Uzbekistan
Somalia
Abkhazia
Sudan
Chechnya
Uganda
Kosovo
Zambia
Nagorno-Karabakh
Zimbabwe
Somaliland
Bold: Non-States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty
Compared to last year’s Landmine Monitor Report, there are four
new countries with reported casualties from mine-related incidents: Armenia,
Bolivia, Cyprus, and Liberia. There are three countries that had reported
landmine casualties previously, but not since the end of 2002: Belarus,
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and Tunisia. Between 1999 and
2001, new landmine casualties were also reported in Bangladesh, Cuba, Djibouti,
Israel, Morocco, and Tanzania, making a total of 75 countries reporting new
landmine casualties since 1999. No tangible evidence has been found of new
mine casualties in Libya since 1999; however, given the high numbers of mine
casualties reported in the past it is highly likely that there have been new
mine casualties in the past five years.
Since 1999, Landmine Monitor has also identified another 25 countries with no
new landmine casualties, but with casualties caused by unexploded ordnance (UXO)
left over from earlier conflicts. This includes 14 countries with new
casualties in 2003-2004: Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Republic of Congo,
Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Panamá, Poland, Slovenia,
Timor Leste, and Venezuela. Other countries reporting UXO casualties since 1999
are Argentina, Belgium, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Latvia,
Mongolia, Nigeria, Oman, Sierra Leone, and Slovakia.
Scale of the Problem
Progress has been made since the Mine Ban Treaty entered into force. In
1999, it was estimated that landmines claimed 26,000 new casualties every year.
The number of reported new mine casualties has dropped significantly in some
heavily mine-affected countries. While acknowledging that it is not possible to
know with absolute certainty, it is now likely that there are between 15,000 and
20,000 new landmine casualties each year. Nevertheless, landmines continue to
claim too many new casualties in too many countries. Based on the information
gathered for Landmine Monitor Report 2004, 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, since
less than 14 percent of reported casualties in 2004 were identified as military
personnel;
Not only mine-affected countries have a problem with landmines; nationals
from 26 countries (including 11 mine-free countries) were killed or injured by
landmines while outside their own borders in 2003-2004. Since 1999, nationals
from a total of 53 countries (including 25 mine-free countries) were
affected.
In 2003-2004, as shown in the table, mine casualties were still occurring in
every region of the world: in 21 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, in 16
countries in Europe and Central Asia, in 14 Asia-Pacific countries, in nine
countries in the Middle East and North Africa, and in six countries in the
Americas. Ongoing conflict is a significant problem in some of these countries,
but Landmine Monitor finds that 40 of the 66 countries that suffered new mine
casualties in 2003-2004 had not experienced any active armed conflict during the
research period. In many cases, the conflict had ended a decade or more ago;
for example, casualties occurred in Cambodia, Nicaragua and Vietnam. For the
four countries added to the list in 2003-2004, the reason for inclusion was that
new incidents of casualties were reported, rather than the onset of a new
conflict.
In 2003-2004, mine/UXO casualties also included nationals from 26 countries
killed or injured while abroad engaged in military or demining operations,
peacekeeping, or other activities. These countries include: Afghanistan,
Algeria, Burundi, Canada, France, Germany, Georgia, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan,
Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, Pakistan, Perú, Poland, Russia, Serbia and
Montenegro, Somalia, Syria, Tanzania, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United
Kingdom, United States, and Uzbekistan.
Since 1999, nationals from another 27 countries have also been killed or
injured while abroad: Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bhutan, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Croatia, Denmark, Fiji, The Gambia, Honduras,
India, Iraq, Jordan, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal,
Romania, Slovakia, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, and Zimbabwe.
In 2003 and through July 2004, mine accidents during clearance operations or
in training exercises caused casualties among deminers and soldiers in Abkhazia,
Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Cambodia, Chad, Croatia, DR Congo, Georgia, India, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon,
Mozambique, Perú, Philippines, Russia (Chechnya), Serbia and Montenegro,
Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United States, Vietnam, Yemen, and Zimbabwe. There
were also unconfirmed reports of demining casualties in other countries.
Since 1999, mine accidents during clearance operations or in training
exercises were also reported in Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Colombia, Cyprus, Greece,
Iran, Israel, Kosovo, Kuwait, Nicaragua, Republic of Korea, and Slovenia.
Casualty Data Collection
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.
Landmine Monitor identified over 8,065 new landmine/UXO casualties in
calendar year 2003, including at least 1,833 children (23 percent) and 258 women
(3 percent).[82] Less than 14
percent of reported casualties were identified as military personnel. It is
important to remember, however, that the 8,065 figure represents only 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, and
others are not reported for military or political reasons. Since 1999, Landmine
Monitor has recorded more than 42,540 new mine/UXO
casualties.[83]
Since 1999, greater attention has been placed on the importance of accurate
and up-to-date data on mine casualties and mine survivors to better understand
the needs and to ensure that limited resources are used most effectively where
the needs are greatest. In 1999, reports of new mine casualties, albeit
limited, were only available for 42 countries. By 2004, new mine casualties
have been identified in 75 countries. In several mine-affected countries, mine
incident and casualty data is now collected and stored using the Information
Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) or other comparable databases. Of the
66 countries and seven areas reporting new mine casualties in 2003-2004, only 36
countries and six areas report using IMSMA, or other comparable databases, to
record casualty data. Of those, only 22 countries and three areas were able to
provide Landmine Monitor with full year data or data collected in all
mine-affected regions. 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 system from being used effectively.
The principal collectors of mine casualty data are mine action centers, the
ICRC, UNICEF, and some NGOs.
The number of reported new casualties declined in 2003 from 2002 in the
majority of mine-affected countries; in some cases significantly, such as in
Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Lebanon, Senegal, and Sri Lanka.
In some cases, significant decreases in reported new casualties would appear to
be the result of a lack of resources to undertake comprehensive data collection,
as in Chad and Somaliland. In the case of Chechnya, the number of reported new
casualties has decreased significantly as a result of further analysis of
previously reported statistics.
Where an increase was reported in 2003 this generally appears to be due to a
new or expanded conflict, as in Iraq and Turkey. In other mine-affected
countries, the increase appears to be largely the result of improved data
collection: Azerbaijan, Burundi, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.
In Burma, Colombia, DR Congo, Nepal, and Uganda both factors contributed to
significantly higher numbers of reported mine casualties in 2003.
Although Landmine Monitor considers that in some instances reported casualty
figures are incomplete and understated, a sampling of the findings for calendar
year 2003 from countries and areas with mine casualty databases gives an
indication of downward or upward trends in reported mine casualties. The
following list is in order of highest recorded casualties.
In Afghanistan, 847 casualties recorded, down from 1,460 recorded by ICRC in
2002. It is still, however, estimated that there are around 100 new casualties
each month;
In Cambodia, 772 casualties recorded, down from 847 in 2002.
In Colombia, 668 casualties recorded, up from 626 in 2002.
In Angola, 226 casualties recorded, down from 287 in 2002; since 1999, at
least 2,998 new casualties reported.
In Chechnya, 218 civilian mine/UXO casualties recorded, down from 383 in
2002. The figure of 5,695 casualties reported by the Chechen Ministry of Health
in 2002 included all war-related injuries and not only casualties caused by
landmines and UXO.
In Burundi, 174 civilian casualties recorded, up from 114 in 2002.
In DR Congo, 152 casualties recorded, up from 115 in 2002; since 1999, 780
new casualties reported.
In Laos, 118 casualties recorded, up from 99 in 2002.
In Sri Lanka, 99 casualties recorded, down from 142 in 2002.
In Eritrea, 62 casualties recorded by UNMEE MAC, down from 78 in 2002;
however, 87 casualties recorded by Landmine Impact Survey, down from 116 in
2002. Since 2000, 428 new casualties recorded.
In Sudan, 79 new casualties recorded, up from 46 recorded in 2002, but the
data is incomplete; since 1999, 666 new casualties recorded.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 54 casualties recorded, down from 72 in 2002.
In Somaliland, 50 casualties recorded between July and December, down from
129 in 2002, but data collection severely limited by a lack of funding; since
2000, 459 new casualties recorded.
In Azerbaijan, 39 casualties recorded, up from 17 in 2002, since 2000, 172
new casualties recorded.
In Ethiopia, 39 casualties reported by RaDO, down from 67 in 2002 (data is
only available for the Tigray and Afar regions); since 1999, at least 530 new
casualties in Tigray and Afar. The Landmine Impact Survey reports significantly
higher casualty figures than previously available with 297 casualties recorded
for 2003.
In Thailand, 29 casualties recorded in four provinces, down from 36 in 2002;
since 2000, 217 new casualties reported.
In Lebanon, 26 casualties recorded, down from 49 in 2002; since 2000, 291
new casualties recorded.
In Zimbabwe, 26 casualties recorded, up from nine in 2002; since 1999, 57
new casualties reported.
In Nagorno-Karabakh, 21 casualties recorded, up from 17 in 2002.
In Kosovo, 19 casualties recorded, up from 15 in 2002; since June 1999, 512
new casualties recorded.
In Senegal, 19 casualties recorded, down from 48 in 2002; since 1999, 286
casualties recorded.
In Chad, only 18 casualties recorded, down from 200 reported in 2002, due to
lack of data collection mechanism; since 2000, 314 casualties reported.
In Yemen, 18 casualties recorded, down from 19 in 2002; since 2000, 75 new
casualties recorded.
In Croatia, 14 casualties recorded, down from 27 in 2002.
In Mozambique, 14 casualties recorded, down from 47 in 2002.
In Guinea-Bissau, 12 casualties recorded, down from 33 in 2002.
In Nicaragua, six casualties recorded, down from 15 in 2002; since 1999, 71
new casualties recorded.
In other mine-affected countries, very limited data on landmine/UXO
casualties is collected from government ministries and agencies, international
agencies and NGOs, hospitals, media reports, surveys, 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.
In Iraq, 2,189 casualties reported; however, data does not cover the whole
country or full year. In northern Iraq, 1,796 casualties reported, up from 457
in 2002. Between 1999 and the end of December 2003, at least 3,333 new mine and
UXO casualties recorded in northern Iraq.
In India, 270 casualties reported, down from 523 in 2002.
In Vietnam, 220 casualties reported, up from 166 in 2002; true figure
estimated to be considerably higher.
In Burma (Myanmar), 192 casualties reported, up from 114 reported in 2002;
true figure estimated to be considerably higher.
In Pakistan, 138 casualties reported, up from 136 in 2002; since 2000, 460
new casualties reported.
In Nepal, 76 new mine casualties reported in a two-month period.
In Somalia, 75 casualties reported, up from 53 in 2002; since 2000, 686 new
casualties reported.
In Turkey, 67 casualties reported, up from 40 in 2002; since 2000, 170 new
casualties reported.
In Iran, 66 casualties reported, up from 32 in 2002; since 2001, 304 new
casualties reported.
In Uganda, 64 casualties reported, up from seven reported in 2002; since
1999, 244 new casualties reported.
In Georgia, 50 casualties reported, down from 97 in 2002.
In Palestine, 23 casualties reported, down from 57 in 2002.
In Namibia, 12 casualties reported, down from 19 in 2002; since 1999, 598
casualties reported with a significant reduction in the number of new casualties
since 2001.
In Macedonia (FYR), eight casualties reported, up from four in 2002; since
1999, 90 new casualties reported.
In Jordan, six casualties reported, down from 15 in 2002; since 2000, 46 new
casualties reported.
In the Republic of Korea, five casualties reported, down from 17 in 2002;
since 1999, 47 new casualties reported.
In 2004, landmine/UXO casualties continue to be reported (with increasing
frequency in some countries such as Cambodia, Guinea-Bissau, Laos, and
Mozambique) in every region of the world, including:
In Afghanistan, 423 new casualties reported to 30 June; since 1999, 7,197
new casualties recorded by ICRC.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 28 new casualties reported to September; since
1999, 436 new casualties recorded.
In Burundi, 46 new casualties recorded to April; since 2000, 454 new
casualties reported.
In Cambodia, casualties increased significantly in the first few months of
2004 to 671 new casualties recorded by the end of August; since 1999, 5,129 new
casualties recorded.
In Chechnya, 81 new civilian casualties recorded to September; since 1999,
2,421 new civilian casualties recorded.
In Colombia, 421 new casualties recorded to September; since 1999, 2,174 new
casualties recorded.
In Guinea-Bissau casualties increased significantly in 2003 with 29 new
casualties to July; since June 1998, 331 new casualties recorded.
In Laos, casualties increased significantly with 117 new casualties to June;
since 1999, 661 new casualties recorded.
In Mozambique, casualties increased significantly to 24 to July; since 2000,
343 new casualties recorded.
In Nagorno-Karabakh, casualties increased significantly to 30 to end of
June; since 1999, 131 new casualties recorded.
In Nepal, at least 132 new mine casualties reported to June.
In Sri Lanka, 33 new casualties recorded to June; since 1999, more than 724
new casualties recorded.
In Vietnam, 114 new casualties reported to end of April; since 2000, 752 new
casualties reported from a limited number of sources.
The number of new casualties is only a small indicator of the landmine
problem; more important is the number of mine survivors that need and have a
right to assistance. It must be remembered that while the number of reported
new landmine casualties is dropping in many mine-affected countries the number
of landmine survivors continues to increase. The exact number of mine
survivors is unknown. Through Landmine Impact Surveys and increased data
collection, more information is becoming available. For example, in Afghanistan
a limited survey of 75,688 persons with disabilities identified 13,624 mine
survivors. In Bosnia and Herzegovina the database records 3,905 people injured
since 1992, and in Cambodia the database records 41,010 people injured since
1979. Survivors identified by Landmine Impact Surveys include 2,233 survivors
in Eritrea, 7,275 survivors in Ethiopia, 1,971 survivors in Thailand, and 2,344
survivors in Yemen. In northern Iraq, 9,121 mine/UXO survivors were recorded
between 1991 and December 2003. In Vietnam more than 66,000 mine/UXO survivors
have been recorded and more than 5,600 in Laos.
Landmine Monitor has identified more than 230,100 mine survivors recorded in
97 countries[84] and nine areas;
some are from incidents dating back to the end of the Second World War, but the
vast majority of survivors are from the mid-1970s onwards. It should be noted
that this figure does not include estimates of up to 100,000 or more mine
survivors in Afghanistan, or of foreign soldiers injured during the Vietnam War
in the 1970s, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s, or the first Gulf
War in 1990. It is unknown how many of these recorded survivors are still
living, but it is clear, given the high number of casualties that likely have
never been recorded, it is reasonable to assume that there are somewhere between
300,000 and 400,000 mine survivors in the world today.
In addition to the 97 countries where mine incidents took place, Landmine
Monitor has identified another 24 countries with mine survivors: 20 with
nationals injured abroad in mine incidents and accidents since 1999; two with
nationals injured prior to 1999; and two with known survivors but no available
statistics. In other words, many countries with no new reported landmine
casualties nevertheless have landmine survivors that continue to require
assistance. Consequently, around two-thirds of the countries in the world
– 121 countries – are affected to some extent by the landmine/UXO
problem and the issue of survivors.
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, and deafness, as
well as 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 2004 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 in providing for the care and
rehabilitation of mine survivors.
Since 1999, in part because of the work of Landmine Monitor in compiling
information, a great deal more is now known about facilities and programs that
assist mine survivors, and some of the problems they faced. Most landmine
survivors do not have access to some of the most basic needs: food security,
access to water, adequate housing, roads, a way to earn an income, healthcare,
and access to the lifelong rehabilitation services many require. It is
understood that mine survivors and other persons with disabilities are among the
most impoverished group in every society.
It is without doubt that many mine survivors have benefited from the
increased attention given to the issue of victim assistance by States Parties
since 1999. Several new programs for physical rehabilitation and socio-economic
reintegration have been implemented. Nevertheless, many mine survivors are
still not able to access the facilities needed for their complete rehabilitation
and reintegration, and many local and international NGOs report that a lack of
funding, especially long-term funding, is limiting their operations and the
sustainability of programs. From the research, there is a greater understanding
about the extent of the problem, and the knowledge that existing programs are
far from meeting the needs. For example, in Afghanistan, for every one person
with a disability that receives assistance through existing programs, 100 more
reportedly do not receive
assistance.[85]
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 his
or her socio-economic reintegration and psychological well-being. For amputees,
prostheses wear out, need repairs, and replacement. For many, the poverty
brought on or exacerbated by becoming a landmine survivor leads to greater risk
of illness and therefore more needs than non-disabled populations for medical
care. In addition, medical problems related to amputation often resurface years
after the original incident. Similarly, socio-economic reintegration is not
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.
The ultimate goal of survivor assistance programs should be the complete
rehabilitation of mine survivors and their reintegration into the wider
community. To ensure sustainability and to avoid unnecessary segregation of
survivors, assistance to landmine survivors should be viewed as a part of a
country’s overall public health and social services system. At the same
time, within those general systems, deliberate care must be built in to ensure
that landmine survivors and other persons with disabilities 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. Sometimes, leveling the playing field requires
services or systems particular to people with disabilities. These two approaches
– special services when necessary and mainstreaming whenever possible
– constitute the “twin track” toward disability espoused by
the ICBL Working Group on Victim Assistance and its members. 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:[86]
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.[87] Landmine Monitor can,
however, conclude that since 1999 through the efforts of States Parties, the
ICBL, the ICRC and NGOs in the field, the Mine Ban Treaty has raised awareness
of the rights and needs of mine survivors and enabled mine survivors themselves
to advocate for services to meet their needs. More programs have been
implemented and the survivors that have access to these services report an
improved quality of life. Nevertheless, the challenge remains to ensure that
programs are adequate, appropriate and sustainable and that the benefits are not
limited to a fortunate few.
Based on a purely quantitative analysis of the information available in the
Landmine Monitor Report 2004, it would appear that most countries have
facilities to address some of the needs of landmine survivors. In a positive
development, at least 22 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 services for all persons with disabilities, although
some plans have not been implemented due to a lack of resources.
Landmine Monitor has determined that in 53 of the 66 countries with new mine
casualties in 2003, and in all seven areas, one or more aspects of survivor
assistance are reportedly inadequate to meet the needs of mine survivors and
other persons with disabilities. 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. Assistance in the area that has been identified as the
top priority for many mine survivors – socio-economic reintegration
– continues to be lacking in the majority of countries.
From the research collected by Landmine Monitor since 1999, several general
observations can be made:
Most services are located in urban centers, but the majority of mine
survivors are found in rural areas where the concentration of mine pollution is
greatest;
The majority of resources are directed towards medical and physical
rehabilitation;
The availability of assistance in psychosocial support and economic
reintegration is limited;
Many mine-affected countries suffer from a lack of adequately trained
healthcare and rehabilitation providers;
International organizations, NGOs, and UN agencies play a key role in the
delivery of services to mine survivors;
Local NGOs often lack the financial resources and capacity 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 disabilities, is being 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;
The five-year review of survivor assistance activities in Landmine Monitor
Report 2004 is not exhaustive, and it is likely that information on the
activities of some local and international NGOs providing services and
activities undertaken by governmental agencies is not included. Landmine
Monitor would welcome more input from governmental and non-governmental agencies
and organizations on their survivor assistance activities for future editions of
this report. Nevertheless, through the research undertaken, Landmine Monitor
has attempted to provide an indication of the progress, or lack of progress, and
some of the problems faced in addressing the needs of mine survivors. Following
are examples of some of the key findings and developments since 1999.
Emergency and Continuing Medical Care
In 2003, at least 3,054 landmine/UXO casualties were identified in hospital
records, including 110 casualties in Africa, one in Americas, 1,851 in
Asia/Pacific, 341 in Europe/Central Asia, and 751 in Middle East/North Africa.
In Afghanistan, 65 percent of the population reportedly does not have access
to health facilities.
In Angola, less than 30 percent of the population has access to healthcare,
and few facilities are available for mine survivors and other persons with
disabilities.
In Burundi, in February 2002, the government introduced a “cost
recovery” system for medical treatment, which reportedly excludes about 20
percent of the population from access to healthcare.
In Chechnya, more than half the available hospitals function without running
water, proper heating, and sewage systems.
In DR Congo, in 2002, it was estimated that 37 percent of the population did
not have access to any kind of healthcare.
In Ethiopia, according to the Landmine Impact Survey, 27 percent of
survivors identified between 2001 and 2003 reported receiving no care.
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 healthcare workers.
In Laos, a survey of child mine/UXO survivors found that 70 percent have
long-term medical problems.
In Rwanda, in some areas of the country the population lives more than 1.5
hours walk from the nearest health center.
In Sudan, in Kassala, 84 percent of recorded mine/UXO casualties were
transported more than 50 kilometers to the nearest health facility.
In Uganda, a 2003 review of health facilities in eastern Uganda found that
53 percent of patients with war-related injuries had received no pre-hospital
care.
Physical Rehabilitation
In 2003, Landmine Monitor identified a total of 118,154 patients or services
in the area of physical rehabilitation, including at least 19,006 services for
landmine/UXO survivors: 27,458 services (1,365 for survivors) in Africa; 115
services (28 for survivors) in Americas; 82,386 services (14,748 for survivors)
in Asia/Pacific; 1,205 services (423 for survivors) in Europe/Central Asia; and
6,990 services (2,442 for survivors) in Middle East/North Africa.
In Afghanistan, in 2002, it was reported that only 60 out of 330 districts
had rehabilitation and socio-economic reintegration facilities for the disabled,
and even in those districts the needs were only partially met.
In Angola, in 2001, the Ministry of Health implemented a five-year national
program to rehabilitate persons with disabilities.
In Cambodia, the number of physical rehabilitation centers has decreased
from 15 in 1999 to eleven in 2004; the principal reason for the decrease is
reduced funding, cost, quality control, and sustainability.
In Chad, according to the Landmine Impact Survey, of 217 mine survivors
identified in incidents between 1998 and 2001, none reported receiving
rehabilitation assistance.
In DR Congo, in 2002, a new three-year program was implemented to strengthen
the capacity of the Rehabilitation Center for the Physically Handicapped and
improve the quality of services.
In Eritrea, according to the Landmine Impact Survey, only three percent of
survivors identified in incidents between 2001 and 2003 reported receiving
rehabilitation assistance.
In Ethiopia, according to the Landmine Impact Survey, only seven percent of
survivors identified in incidents between 2001 and 2003 reported receiving
rehabilitation assistance.
In Iraq, in November 2003, the UNOPS Victim Assistance Program in northern
Iraq was handed over to the Coalition Provisional Authority.
In Kosovo, in 2002, the Ministry of Health appointed an officer for physical
medicine and rehabilitation to strengthen the rehabilitation sector.
In Rwanda, in October 2002, a national plan for the rehabilitation of
persons with disabilities was drafted, but the plan has not been implemented due
to a lack of resources.
In Somaliland, the Landmine Impact Survey found that of 179 mine survivors
identified in incidents in 2001 and 2002, only four had received rehabilitation;
47 were amputees.
In Vietnam, the government-sponsored Community Based Rehabilitation Program
has expanded its coverage from 40 provinces in 2001 to 46 of 61 provinces by
2003.
In Yemen, in 2000, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs reorganized its
Community Based Rehabilitation Program to be more responsive to the needs of
mine survivors.
Prosthetics/Orthotics/Assistive Devices
Over the past five years there has been limited improvement in the area of
physical rehabilitation, particularly in the production of prostheses and other
assistive devices, through the training of technicians and better infrastructure
at some facilities.
In 2003, ICRC-supported prosthetic/orthotic centers produced 20,837
prostheses (10,549 for landmine survivors), 14,232 orthoses (94 for mine
survivors), 38,560 crutches, and 2,147 wheelchairs. Between 1999 and the end of
2003, ICRC prosthetic/orthotic centers produced 92,873 prostheses (50,197 for
landmine survivors), 59,694 orthoses (162 for mine survivors), 164,645 crutches,
and 6,756 wheelchairs.
Based on limited data collected by Landmine Monitor for 2003, NGOs and other
agencies working in mine-affected countries also produced or distributed at
least 18,532 prostheses, 5,047 orthoses, 14,046 crutches, 4,715 wheelchairs or
tricycles, and 6,747 other assistive devices and components, and repaired 4,906
orthopedic devices; at least 7,890 devices were for mine survivors.
In total, Landmine Monitor identified 129,769 prostheses, orthoses, walking
aids or other assistive devices produced, distributed, or repaired in 2003,
including at least 18,533 for mine survivors: 33,817 orthopedic devices (2,725
for mine survivors) in Africa; 877 (249 for mine survivors) in Americas; 76,792
(11,329 for mine survivors) in Asia/Pacific; 7,903 (1,569 for mine survivors) in
Europe/Central Asia); and 10,380 (2,661 for mine survivors) in Middle East/North
Africa.
In Chechnya, in January 2003, the Grozny Prosthetic/Orthotic Center started
production.
In China, in December 2003, the ICRC in cooperation with the Red Cross
Society of China established a prosthetic center in Kunming.
In Georgia, the Tbilisi Orthopedic Center had 458 amputees on its waiting
list for services as at the end of December 2002.
In Nicaragua, at the end of 2003, 490 amputees were on the waiting list for
prostheses at the national orthopedic center in Managua.
In Sudan, in June 2003, an orthopedic workshop opened in Kassala.
In Uganda, of 1,183 amputees identified to May 2003 in northern Uganda, only
629 (54 percent) had been fitted with prostheses.
In Yemen, in 2003, a new orthopedic center opened in Mukalla in the remote
Hadramont governorate.
Psychosocial Support
Landmine Monitor recorded 8,620 people that received psychosocial support,
including at least 1,939 survivors: 4,506 people (574 mine/UXO survivors) in
Africa; 536 (280 survivors) in Americas; 2,046 (225 survivors) in Asia/Pacific;
1,244 (839 survivors) in Europe/Central Asia; and 288 (21 survivors) in Middle
East/North Africa.
Several mine survivors participated in the Paralympic Games in Athens in
September 2004.
In Azerbaijan, in 2004, the Azerbaijan Landmine Victims Association was
established; only 78 (20 percent) of 382 mine survivors interviewed in a recent
survey reported receiving psychological support.
In Chechnya, in July 2003 the first meeting of the Mine Survivors Club was
organized in Gudermes.
In Croatia, in 2001, the Croatian Mine Victims Association was established.
In April 2004, reconstruction work began on a new psychosocial support center in
Rovinj.
In Lebanon, in September 2003, the first Arab summer camp for mine survivors
from Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan and Syria was held.
In Perú, in 2003, the Association of Victims and Survivors of
Landmines, was created by former National Police members injured during mine
clearance or mine-laying activities.
In the Republic of Korea, in September 2003, the Association of Mine Victims
was established.
In Russia, in April 2003, the St. Petersburg Elks participated in the first
World Standing Amputee Ice Hockey Championships in Helsinki; seven mine
survivors are on the team.
In Uganda, in August 2002, the Lira Landmine Survivors Association was
established to support women mine survivors and other persons with
disabilities.
Vocational Training and Economic Reintegration
Although many mine survivors and actors in survivor assistance regard
economic integration through employment and income generation opportunities as a
top priority, there is little evidence to show significant progress in this
area. Numerous small programs have been implemented in several countries since
1999; however, the number of survivors benefiting from these programs appears to
be small.
Landmine Monitor recorded 7,858 people assisted with vocational training
and/or economic reintegration, including at least 2,304 survivors: 846 people in
Africa, at least 553 survivors; 452 in Americas, at least 36 survivors; 4,450 in
Asia/Pacific, at least 1,280 survivors; 1,875 in Europe/Central Asia, at least
242 survivors; and 235 in Middle East/North Africa, at least 193 mine survivors.
In the Landmine Impact Surveys for Azerbaijan, Chad, Ethiopia, Somaliland,
Thailand and Yemen, no recent mine survivors reported receiving vocational
training since being injured.
In Afghanistan, one NGO reports a three-year waiting list to join its
socio-economic reintegration program.
In Albania, in 2003, a new income generation project started in the
mine-affected districts.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 85 percent of mine survivors are reportedly
concerned about the lack of employment opportunities and economic reintegration.
In Cambodia, mine survivors elaborated a twelve-point plan that identifies
their needs and those of their communities. Priorities include adequate
shelter, enough food to eat, a job or the possibility to generate an income, a
school for their children, and a chance for adults to learn a new skill.
In Sri Lanka, in 2003, the UNDP Disability Assistance Project started in
Jaffna to promote the economic reintegration of mine survivors and other persons
with physical disabilities.
In Vietnam, a 2003 survey found that the top priority for over 75 percent of
mine survivors was assistance in socio-economic reintegration.
Capacity Building
In 2003, at least 811 doctors, surgeons, nurses, first aid providers,
prosthetic/orthotic technicians and physical therapists received training: 228
local healthcare providers in Africa, twelve in Americas, 336 in Asia/Pacific,
143 in Europe/Central Asia, and 92 in Middle East/North Africa. Since 1999, at
least 7,026 doctors, surgeons, nurses, first aid providers, prosthetic/orthotic
technicians and physical therapists received training: 4,481 local healthcare
providers in Africa, 28 in Americas, 1,505 in Asia/Pacific, 520 in
Europe/Central Asia, and more than 492 in Middle East/North Africa.
In Afghanistan, in 2003, a six-month training course in prosthetics and
orthotics was initiated. In 2002, a two-year physiotherapy course started in
Jalalabad.
In Cambodia, in 1999, the Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics was
accredited by the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO),
and is one of only four Category II training centers in the world.
In Eritrea, since October 2002, 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 Ethiopia, in March 2003, the ICRC started teaching Ethiopia’s first
prosthetics/orthotics diploma course at a new training center.
In Kosovo, in 2002 a three-year degree course for physiotherapists was
established at the University of Pristina.
In Slovenia, since 1998, a total of 290 specialists from Albania, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia and Kosovo have completed rehabilitation
training.
In Zambia, in 2003, the ICRC started a new program to build capacity at the
University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka.
Disability Policy and Practice
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, in October 2003, the “Comprehensive National
Disability Policy” was created.
In Algeria, in 2002, new legislation was passed protecting the rights of
persons with disabilities.
In Bangladesh, in 2001, the Parliament adopted the first comprehensive
disability legislation.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the “Development Strategy for BiH: PRSP
(poverty reduction strategy paper) 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 Cambodia, in 2000, a draft “Law on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities” was prepared, but as of September 2004, the Ministry of
Social Affairs had not submitted the legislation to the Council of Ministries
for approval.
In Croatia, in 2002, the Parliament adopted a new national strategy aimed at
improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities, without distinction
to the cause of disability.
In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, in June 2003, the
Supreme People’s Assembly of DPRK adopted a new law to protect the rights
of persons with disabilities.
In DR Congo, in 2002, a social fund for military war-injured, including mine
survivors, was created at the level of the Presidency.
In Honduras, in May 2004, a new national policy on disability was
approved.
In India, in 2002, the government announced that compensation would be paid
to the casualties of military-related explosions.
In Kenya, on 31 December 2003, the new “Persons with Disabilities Act
2003” received presidential assent.
In Lebanon, in 2000, a new law called “Access and Rights of the
Disabled” was approved by Parliament; however, it has not been fully
implemented due to a lack of funding.
In Mozambique, in June 1999, Parliament enacted a new disability ,law but it
has not been fully implemented due to a lack of resources.
In Namibia, in 2001, the Disability Advisory Office was established within
the Prime Minister’s office to provide advice on issues relating to
persons with disabilities.
In Nicaragua, in 2003, it was acknowledged that the existing disability
legislation had little impact on the lives of mine survivors.
In Pakistan, the government is paying compensation to mine survivors and the
families of those killed as a result of the conflict on the Pakistan-India
border.
In Sri Lanka, in August 2003, the Cabinet approved the National Disability
Policy.
In Syria, in July 2004, a new national law to protect the rights of persons
with disabilities was issued by the President.
In Uganda, a new disability policy was put in place in 2000, and in February
and June 2004, a representative of the Rehabilitation and Disability Prevention
Desk of the Ministry of Health participated in the meetings of the Standing
Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration in Geneva.
In Vietnam, in 2001, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs
established the National Coordinating Council on Disabilities.
In Yemen, in 1999, Act 61 on the Care and Rehabilitation of the Disabled was
issued; in January 2002, Presidential Law Number 2 established a care and
rehabilitation fund for persons with disabilities.
Data Collection
In mine-affected country reports in Landmine Monitor Report 2004,
information is provided on the facilities that have been identified as assisting
landmine survivors and other persons with disabilities. Since 2002, many
facilities have been asked to report on how many people were assisted in the
previous year, 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 Afghanistan, data collected on 75,688 persons with disabilities
identified 13,624 mine survivors.
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,” including details on the type of
injuries sustained by survivors.
In Chechnya, in 2001, UNICEF and local partners started collecting data on
civilian mine/UXO casualties.
In Colombia, in 2001, the OAS AICMA (Comprehensive Action Against
Antipersonnel Mines) program supported the implementation of the Antipersonnel
Mines Observatory to record and monitor information on mine and UXO casualties
and survivors.
In DR Congo, in 2002, UNMACC started collecting data on mine/UXO casualties
for entry into an IMSMA database.
In Nicaragua, in October 2001, OAS PADCA released the first report from its
database on reported mine/UXO casualties in the country since 1980.
In Rwanda, the National Demining Office has been collecting mine casualty
data using IMSMA since June 2001.
In Sri Lanka, since 2003, the UNDP IMSMA database has become a reliable
source of information on mine and UXO casualties.
In Sudan, in May 2003, the Southern Sudan Mine Action Coordination Office
mine casualty data mechanism using IMSMA became operational.
In Tajikistan, in 2003, the Mine Action Cell started gathering data on mine
casualties.
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 Albania, in 2003, an integrated victim assistance strategy was
implemented.
In Angola, since September 2001, the Support and Social Reintegration
sub-commission of National and Sectorial Commission for Demining and
Humanitarian Assistance has coordinated and monitored the activities of victim
assistance providers.
In Azerbaijan, in 2003, the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action
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, in 2003, the Mine Action Center announced plans
to establish a mine victim assistance coordination group to develop a plan of
action. In June 2004, the final version of the Landmine Victim Assistance
Strategy was released.
In Cambodia, the Cambodia Mine Action Authority is responsible for the
coordination and monitoring of mine victim assistance but has delegated
responsibility to the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labor, Vocational Training and
Youth Rehabilitation, and the Disability Action Council. In March 2004, CMAA
presented a draft strategic plan for 2004-2009.
In Chad, in 2003, a new department for victim assistance was created within
the National High Commission on Demining, with the aim to improve mine victim
assistance.
In Colombia, in 2001, the government launched the Program for Mine Accident
Prevention and Victim Assistance.
In Eritrea, in April 2003, the Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare endorsed
the victim assistance strategic plan for 2002-2006.
In Guinea-Bissau, in August 2002, the National Mine Action Center organized
its first meeting to elaborate a national plan of action to support mine
survivors.
In Laos, in 2003, the new National Strategic Plan included victim assistance
and resources from the UNDP Trust Fund will be available for both physical
rehabilitation and socio-economic reintegration.
In Lebanon, in 2001, the National Demining Office established a National
Victim Assistance Committee.
In Mozambique, the National Demining Institute’s Five Year National
Mine Action Plan (2002-2006) affirms its coordinating role in mine victim
assistance.
In Nicaragua, survivor assistance falls within the mandate of the National
Demining Commission, which consults with the National Rehabilitation Council to
find effective mechanisms to improve the social reintegration of mine
survivors.
In Slovenia, in 2003, the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine
Victims Assistance facilitated a regional study on mine victim assistance in the
South-East Europe to identify gaps and promote regional cooperation.
In Sudan, in 2003, the National Mine Action Office recruited a Victim
Assistance Officer to assist in capacity building and develop a plan of action
for victim assistance.
In Thailand, in January 2004, the Public Relations Department of the Royal
Thai Government established a “Public Relations Strategic Working Group
for Disabled Persons” to devise a strategic plan for persons with
disabilities.
In Yemen, in 2001, the Victim Assistance Department of the National Mine
Action Program was established.
In Zimbabwe, in 2002, a Victims Assistance, Rehabilitation, Reintegration,
and Resettlement Office was established as part of the Zimbabwe Mine Action
Center.
Challenges in Providing Adequate, Appropriate and Sustainable Assistance
In May 2004, a workshop bringing together rehabilitation experts implementing
programs to assist mine survivors and other persons with disabilities in
mine-affected countries was convened by Handicap International
(HI).[88] The aim of the workshop
was to evaluate progress in the implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty in
relation to victim assistance. Some of the key findings of the workshop
included:
There has been little lasting improvement in medical and surgical care.
Developing physical rehabilitation programs takes a long time.
Rehabilitation works best when it is comprehensive, holistic, and
multi-layered.
Few physical rehabilitation programs are sustainable as currently
constituted.
All physical rehabilitation stakeholders must coordinate resources, planning
and training.
Collaboration and coordination are essential for program
sustainability.
Psychosocial support plays a critical role in successful
rehabilitation.
Capacity building of local personnel is essential for program
sustainability.
Economic integration is the primary unmet need identified by beneficiaries
in every mine-affected country.
Research undertaken by Landmine Monitor, together with the findings of the HI
workshop, indicates that while some progress has been made since 1999, there is
still much work to be done. Most mine-affected countries are experiencing
similar problems, though to varying degrees, and there are several key
challenges that need to be addressed to ensure that the growing number of mine
survivors receive adequate and appropriate assistance. These include:
Facilitating access to appropriate healthcare and rehabilitation
facilities;
Addressing the affordability of appropriate healthcare and
rehabilitation;
Improving and upgrading facilities for rehabilitation and psychosocial
support;
Creating opportunities for employment and income generation;
Capacity building and on-going training of healthcare practitioners,
including doctors, surgeons, nurses, physiotherapists and orthopedic
technicians;
Capacity building of personnel within relevant government ministries, and of
local associations of persons with disabilities;
Raising awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities;
Establishing an effective legal and social welfare system to protect the
rights of all persons with disabilities, including mine victims;
Supporting local NGOs and agencies to ensure the participation of people
with disabilities in issues that most concern them and to promote appropriate
and sustainable programs;
Collaboration and coordination of all stakeholders, including local,
national and international agencies, in relation to resources, planning and
training;
Obtaining sufficient funding to support programs;
Coordination of donor support; and
Engaging the relevant government ministries in mine-affected countries in
the planning and implementation of
programs.[89]
International Developments
The Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World in November/December 2004 marks an
important milestone in global efforts to raise awareness of the rights and needs
of mine survivors and other persons with disabilities, and to encourage States
to match resources with needs in mine-affected communities to promote the
physical rehabilitation and socio-economic reintegration of survivors. The Mine
Ban Treaty is the first multilateral disarmament treaty in history to call for
assistance to the victims of the banned weapon. States Parties meeting in
Nairobi will, in relation to mine victims, identify a number of key challenges
to be addressed in the period 2005-2009 to fulfill the promise to mine survivors
that the treaty implied.
The draft Nairobi Action Plan for the period 2005-2009 has identified 22
States Parties, with hundreds or thousands of mine survivors, that are deemed to
face the most profound challenges in meeting their responsibility to support
mine survivors: Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi,
Cambodia, Chad, Colombia, Croatia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, El
Salvador, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Senegal, Serbia and
Montenegro, Sudan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uganda, and Yemen. Providing
assistance where necessary to these 22 States Parties will become a more focused
challenge for all States Parties over the next five years. The draft Action
Plan acknowledges that all States have a responsibility to assist mine
survivors. As noted previously, Landmine Monitor has identified 53 States,
including non-States Parties to the treaty with thousands of survivors, which
also appear to need additional assistance in meeting the needs of mine survivors
within their populations.
The Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration
(SC-VA) has been, and will continue to be, an integral mechanism in advancing
understanding and identifying needs in relation to mine victim assistance among
the States Parties. The meetings of the SC-VA have been conducted in what was
described as a “spirit of practical cooperation, inclusivity and
collegiality.” Mine survivors, the ICBL, the ICRC, and numerous NGOs have
worked closely with States Parties to advance the important work of the
SC-VA.
The SC-VA has been co-chaired by Australia and Croatia since September 2003.
The co-rapporteurs (who are expected to become co-chairs in December 2004) were
Nicaragua and Norway. Two intersessional meetings of the SC-VA were held in
February and June 2004.[90] Other
co-chairs of the SC-VA since 1999 were México and Switzerland
(1999/2000), Japan and Nicaragua (2000/2001), Canada and Honduras (2001/2002),
and Colombia and France (2002/2003).
One of the early tasks undertaken by the SC-VA was to clarify the terms such
as “mine victim” and “victim assistance,” and to
identify the key elements of victim assistance that were fundamental to focused
discussions on fulfilling the aims of the Mine Ban Treaty. Through the work of
the SC-VA, States came to understand that assistance to mine survivors should
not be promoted in such a manner as to exclude persons injured or disabled from
other causes and must be seen in the broader context of development and
underdevelopment. States also now understand that mine victim assistance is
more than just a medical or rehabilitation issue – it is also a human
rights issue. After the foundations were laid by previous co-chairs, Canada
hosted a “Standing Committee Planning Workshop” in Ottawa in October
2001, to promote discussion on establishing a framework for the SC-VA’s
future activities and identifying key issues to be addressed. As a result of
the workshop, in 2002 UNMAS was invited to undertake a consultative process to
identify the priority areas for future discussions within the SC-VA on victim
assistance. Five key areas were identified: emergency and continuing medical
care; physical rehabilitation / prosthetics; psychological and social support;
economic reintegration; and laws, public policies and national planning.
In 2004, 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, through an increased emphasis on hearing concrete plans
of action from mine-affected States, based on the priorities established by the
consultative process, for the care and rehabilitation of landmine survivors. In
2003 and 2004, a total of 32 mine-affected States Parties presented to the SC-VA
their plans, progress and priorities for mine victim assistance, and their
problems in meeting the needs. In 2004, presentations were made by:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi,
Cambodia, Colombia, Croatia, El Salvador, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Jordan,
Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, Perú, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia and
Montenegro, Sudan, Thailand, Uganda, Yemen, and Zimbabwe. In 2003,
presentations were also made by Chad, DR Congo, Djibouti, Tajikistan, Turkey and
Zambia.
Eleven States Parties reported on their policies and initiatives to support
mine-affected States in providing funding and other assistance to mine victims
in 2004: Canada, Denmark, Germany, Holy See, Japan, México, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, and Sweden. In 2003, presentations were also
made by Australia, Austria, France, Hungary, Luxembourg, and the United
Kingdom.
In February 2004, the SC-VA welcomed 14 mine survivors from Europe and the
Caucasus, taking part in the Raising the Voices initiative. At the June
meetings, eight Raising the Voices participants from the Middle East
participated and, as has become the standard practice, made focused and
substantive interventions. Since 2000, a total of 62 mine survivors from 37
countries/areas participated in the Raising the Voices program: Abkhazia
(one), Afghanistan (two), Albania (two), Angola (two), Azerbaijan (one), Belarus
(one), Bosnia and Herzegovina (two), Cambodia (two), Chad (two), Chechnya (one),
Chile (one), Colombia (two), Croatia (two), Ecuador (one), El Salvador (one),
Eritrea (two), Ethiopia (one), Georgia (two), India (two), Jordan (two), Laos
(two), Lebanon (two), Mozambique (two), Nepal (two), Nicaragua (three), Pakistan
(two), Russia (one), Rwanda (one), Senegal (one), South Africa (one), Sri Lanka
(two), Sudan (one), Syria (two), Thailand (four), Uganda (one), Ukraine (one),
and Yemen (two).
The ICBL’s Working Group on Victim Assistance (WGVA) continued to
participate actively in the SC-VA 2004 meetings. The co-chairs (Landmine
Survivors Network and Ugandan landmine survivor Margaret Arach Orech) and the
Landmine Monitor thematic research coordinator on victim assistance worked
together on presentations to inform participants on aspects of progress and
problems in the implementation of Article 6.3. In September 2003 and June 2004,
representatives of the WGVA met with several NGOs working in prosthetics and
orthotics to continue development of a joint strategy and specific plans to
strengthen coordination, collaboration, and long-term planning in mine-affected
countries.
Since the voluntary Form J of the Article 7 transparency report, developed by
the SC-VA, was endorsed at the Second Meeting of States Parties in September
2000, its use has increased
significantly.[91] As of 31 August
2004, a total of 34 States Parties had submitted the Form J with their Article 7
reports for 2003 to report on victim assistance activities or mine action
funding more generally: 18 mine-affected States Parties (Albania, Angola,
Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, DR Congo,
Ecuador, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mozambique, Perú, Tajikistan,
Thailand, and Zimbabwe), and 16 non-affected States Parties (Australia, Austria,
Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, México, Netherlands, New
Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and
Sweden).[92] In addition, three
mine-affected States Parties (Bangladesh, Senegal and Yemen) provided casualty
and victim assistance information in Form I of their Article 7 reports.
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.”[93] 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 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The
Working Group is comprised of 27 governmental representatives and 12 NGO
representatives, particularly organizations of, and for, persons with
disabilities. The Working Group met for ten days from 5-16 January 2004 to
prepare the draft text, which was then discussed at the Third Session of the Ad
Hoc Committee from 24 May to 4 June 2004. The Fourth Session was held from 23
August to 3 September 2004.[94]
In addition to governments, participants in the Ad Hoc Committee meetings
included representatives from NGOs, academic institutions, legal experts,
specialists in disabilities, and people with disabilities, 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.
[79] For more details on Victim Assistance
funding see Landmine Monitor Report 2004: Executive
Summary. [80] For the purposes of Landmine
Monitor research, casualties include the individuals 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. If only incidents caused by UXO are identified in a
particular country, then that country is not included in the
table. [81] These include Abkhazia,
Chechnya, Kosovo, Nagorno-Karabakh, Palestine, Somaliland, and Western
Sahara. [82] The reported new casualties
should be viewed as a minimum as some heavily mine-affected countries were not
able to provided statistics for the full year, for example, Iraq. Some reports
refer to several people killed or injured without a specific figure being given;
no estimates are included in the total. Furthermore, the figures for mine
casualties involving women and children should be also be viewed as a minimum;
in many instances this level of detail was not made available to Landmine
Monitor. [83] In 2002, more than 8,333 new
mine/UXO casualties were reported, in 2001 more than 8,417, and in 2000 more
than 8,378. The total figure since 1999 includes almost 3,000 new casualties
identified over various time periods in
2004. [84] In addition to the
mine-affected countries, Landmine Monitor has identified mine and UXO survivors
in: Bolivia, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Estonia, Hungary, Kenya,
Indonesia, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Nigeria, Panamá, Tanzania, and
Timor Leste. [85] Rahul Chandran,
Director, Comprehensive Disabled Afghans Program, presentation to the Opening
Ceremony of the Asia-Pacific Landmine Monitor Researcher’s Meeting, Kabul,
27 March 2004. [86] 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. [87] More detailed information was
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. [88] For the full
report see Handicap International, “Lessons Learned Workshop: A Review of
Assistance Programs for War Wounded and other Persons Living in Mine-Affected
Countries,” Paris, 25-28 May 2004, available at www.handicap-international.org
. [89] See also Handicap International,
“Landmine Victim Assistance in South East Europe,” Brussels,
September 2003, available at www.handicapinternational.be/downloads/ITFVAStudyfinalreport.pdf,
accessed 14 October 2004. [90] More
information on the SC-VA, including texts of presentations, is available at www.gichd.ch. [91]
Fourteen States Parties submitted the Form J with their Article 7 Report in
2001: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Honduras, Japan, Mozambique,
Netherlands, Nicaragua, Perú, Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and
Zimbabwe. [92] In addition nine States
Parties, (Benin, Chad, Chile, Malta, Romania, Rwanda, Slovakia, Tanzania, and
Uruguay), submitted the Form J to report on other issues. Poland, though not a
State Party, also submitted an Article 7 Report with the Form J to report on its
support for mine action. [93] UNGA
Resolution 56/168. [94] For more
information see www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/rights;
see also www.rightsforall.com
.