A promise not yet fulfilled
The Mine Ban Treaty is the first multilateral disarmament treaty to call upon states to take responsibility in assisting victims of a particular type of weapon. Article 6.3 of the treaty requires that “each State Party in a position to do so shall provide assistance for the care and rehabilitation, and social and economic reintegration, of mine victims…” The ICBL advocates for this promise to become a reality for hundreds of thousands of mine survivors, and for their families and communities.
Who are mine victims?
Mine victims are those who, either individually or collectively, have suffered physical, emotional or psychological injury, economic loss or substantial impairment of their fundamental rights through acts or omissions. This includes survivors of mine explosions, their families and communities.
The field reality 10 years after the Mine Ban Treaty
In addition to overcoming physical trauma, mine survivors struggle to achieve social acceptance, gain meaningful employment and ensure their rights are respected. Mine survivors and other people with disabilities are among the most impoverished groups in every society. Funding for victim assistance remains insufficient and programmes inadequate in all but a handful of mine-affected countries. (Landmine Monitor provides detailed information.)
What is victim assistance?
Victim assistance is the provision of aid to landmine victims in order to improve their physical, psychological and economical situation, based on human rights principles. The ICBL has issued Guiding Principles for Victim Assistance to provide a framework for all concerned actors to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate victim assistance.
At the First Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty in 2004, States Parties renewed their commitment to assisting mine victims in the Nairobi Action Plan 2005-2009. They acknowledged that victim assistance encompasses six elements. The ICBL calls for urgent action in all six of these areas:
- Understanding the extent of the challenges faced through data collection;
- Emergency and continuing medical care;
- Physical rehabilitation, including physiotherapy, prosthetic and assistive devices;
- Psychological support and social reintegration;
- Economic reintegration; and
- The establishment and enforcement of laws and public policies.
A national responsibility
Assisting mine victims is a crucial responsibility for all States Parties, though first and foremost for those whose citizens suffer the tragedy of mine incidents. This is especially the case for 25 States Parties self-identified as having significant numbers of mine survivors and the greatest responsibility to act, but also the greatest needs and expectation for assistance. This group, known as the VA25, includes Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Cambodia, Chad, Colombia, Croatia, Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Jordan, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Peru, Senegal, Serbia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uganda and Yemen.
Developing plans of action
After the First Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty in 2004, the VA25 states committed to developing goals to adequately respond to the needs of victims and plans to achieve them by the 2nd Review Conference. They undertook to regularly report to the mine ban community on the progress made in achieving their objectives, at the annual Intersessional Standing Committees Meetings and annual Meetings of the States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty. The ICBL closely monitors progress in the implementation of those plans.
We also strongly advocate for mine victims and people with disabilities' organizations to be included in planning and policy-making processes at every level, and consulted on what they perceive as gaps in required services. They best know how their needs and rights can be met in full.
Key documents
ICBL Statements
Meetings of the States Parties
Intersessional Standing Committees Meetings
Publications
ICBL Guiding Principles for Victim Assistance, 2007
Selected publications by ICBL members and others: