Meeting the Needs and Rights of Landmine Survivors

(Monday 23 February 2004 ) This article was published in "The Pilot", Lewisporte Newfoundland in Canada on 3 December 2003.

Landmine survivors require long-term medical and rehabilitation services as well as support for their social and economic reintegration back into society. And they must be full participants in any such efforts.

On Wednesday December 3rd the world is observing the International Day of Disabled Persons, a date marking the anniversary of the adoption by the United Nations of the World Programme of Action concerning Persons with Disabilities. The date is twice memorable for it also commemorates the sixth anniversary of the Ottawa Convention - the international treaty that completely bans antipersonnel landmines, signed in December 1997 in Ottawa.

According to the United Nations, the International Day of Disabled Persons aims to promote understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the rights and well-being of disabled persons. The goal is to have full participation and equality of disabled persons in social life and development.

The Ottawa Convention includes an article dealing with assistance to landmine survivors, calling on State Parties in a position to do so, to provide assistance for the care and rehabilitation, and social and economic reintegration of landmine survivors back into their communities.

There are an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people killed or injured by landmines each year, and although this is an improvement from pre-Ottawa Convention years, it is still increasing the total number of landmine survivors in the world accordingly. From January 2002 to June 2003 there were new casualties in 65 countries, in all regions of the world. Most of those 65 countries (41) were no longer in conflict but in peace, and the majority of new casualties (some 85 percent) were civilians. According to findings of the Landmine Monitor Report 2003, the research initiative of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, many other countries with no new casualties nevertheless have landmine survivors from past years. Other countries, such as Canada, have peacekeepers and other citizens who were injured by landmines while abroad. In all, almost two-thirds of the countries in the world, 124, are affected to some extent by the landmine problem and the issue of survivors.

A landmine incident can cause various injuries to an individual including the loss of limbs, blindness, deafness, spinal injuries, and psychological trauma to the person and his or her family. Landmine survivors require long-term medical and rehabilitation services, sometimes for the rest of their lives, as well as support for their social and economic reintegration into society. Many rural peasants injured by landmines in Colombia’s conflict, for example, are no longer able to work in the fields, and after rehabilitation need assistance with training, education and obtaining new work outside agriculture. Achieving this is quite a challenge in poor countries in Africa, Asia, the Former Soviet Union and Latin America.

Progress has been made. Mine-affected States are taking steps to develop plans to address the needs of survivors. Non-governmental organizations, international organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, and United Nations agencies continue to play a key role in providing services to survivors. Eleven State Parties to the Convention recently reported on their support to mine-affected States in providing assistance to survivors.

The Government of Canada continues to play an important role in supporting survivor assistance in mine-affected countries. In the fiscal year 2002-2003, Canada supports victim assistance in countries including Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Laos, Lebanon, Uganda and Yemen. In addition Canadian non-governmental organizations such as Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR), the Canadian Red Cross, Falls Brook Centre, World Vision Canada, and UNICEF Canada support survivor assistance projects in mine-affected countries including Uganda, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Cambodia, and Eritrea.

Still there are tremendous challenges ahead. Landmine Monitor reports that in 48 mine-affected countries with new casualties in 2002, survivor assistance was reportedly inadequate in some aspect. For example, the services that exist are far away from mine-affected areas and hardly accessible to many survivors because of distance or cost. Survivor assistance for medical and physical rehabilitation still outweighs assistance for psychological and social support, let alone the much needed training for work.

On-going armed conflicts and the economic situation in many countries limit survivor assistance efforts.

Long-term sustainability is another challenge for assistance programs, and many local non-governmental organizations often lack the financial resources to continue programs after international organizations have withdrawn.

Current research indicates that there has been no substantial increase in funding for survivor assistance since 1999, and less than 12 percent of total mine action funding has been allocated to assistance programs.

Survivor assistance is also a human rights issue. In many countries, survivors face discrimination and stigma due to their acquired disabilities. Current negotiations at the United Nations for a new international convention on the rights of disabled people will help empower survivors and other people with disabilities to claim their human rights.

Landmine survivors throughout the world demand to be full participants in planning and implementing assistance programs. According to Jesús Martínez, a landmine survivor from El Salvador and the Landmine Survivors Network country director, survivors need to be empowered and claim their space in society, community and family. “We are capable of knowing what to do with our lives, we do not want national policies developed for us without our participation.”

Charlie Avendaño is research coordinator at Mines Action Canada, the Canadian coalition member of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). He coordinates research in Americas for the Landmine Monitor initiative of the ICBL.