Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Mine Action Trauma Care Collaborative: Enhancing Coordination Between Humanitarian Mine Action And The Emergency Health Response To Civilian Casualties Of Explosive Ordnance, Hannah Wild, Christelle Loupforest, Loren Persi, Elke Hottentot, Sebastian Kasack, Firoz Alizada, International Blast Injury Research Network (Ibirn), Adam Kushner, Barclay T. Stewart

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Modern armed conflict is characterized by the use of a wide variety of explosive weapons (EW), creating complex injury patterns with need for rapid first aid including hemorrhage control close to the point of injury. Yet, in many places where these injuries occur, formal trauma systems are weakened by conflict and resource limitations. In conflict zones, where immediate trauma care is often challenging to access for civilian casualties of EW, the humanitarian mine action (HMA) sector’s unique position and capabilities present a critical opportunity to bridge this gap—a potential that has been realized with the creation of the Mine Action …

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

No abstract provided.

Tnmac's Victim Assistance Activities: The Mental Health Aspect Of Survivors And Hma Personnel, Reykhan Muminova, Md, Phd, Muhabbat Ibrohimzoda, Phd

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Tajikistan, a State Party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) since 1 April 2000, contains a significant number of landmine victims and survivors. The Tajikistan National Mine Action Center (TNMAC) is using the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) Core for its data collection and reporting, including information on persons killed or injured by mines as well as their needs and challenges. This information is disaggregated by gender, age, and disability. Since 1992, the total number of casualties resulting from accidents with landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) is 885 (535 survivors; 350 fatalities).

Impact Caused By The Covid-19 Pandemic On Humanitarian Demining In Colombia, Salomé Valencia Aguirre, Angela De Santis Ph.D., Sebastián Tovar Jaramillo

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

cisrExchange · 25.1-Valencia-Aguirre

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mine action sector globally. In this article, the authors look at how the pandemic has affected Colombia, specifically concentrating on how the pandemic has affected humanitarian demining (HD)-related activities. To do so, the Swiss Foundation for Demining (FSD) compared key HD indicators from 2019 to 2020 in order to evaluate the performance of HD operations in Colombia, and carried out an assessment among HD organizations (HDOs) operating in-country through the Quick Impact Survey on COVID-19 Impact on Humanitarian Operations. Moreover, the authors provide an example of community service activities and …

Assisting Landmine Survivors In Yemen, Elise Becker, Tamara Klingsheim

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Over the past ten years, the Marshall Legacy Institute’s (MLI) Mine Victim’s Assistance Program (MVA) in Yemen has helped over 800 male, female, and child landmine survivors in Yemen. MLI and our in-country program partner have worked to identify survivors and provide them with the assistance they require, including prosthetic services, vocational training, and self-employment opportunities, to improve their lives and increase their prospects for a brighter future.

Digital Rehabilitation Technologies Deliver Hope For Survivors, Abder Banoune

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Humanity & Inclusion (HI) has been making prostheses and orthoses since its launch in refugee camps along the Thailand/Cambodia border in 1982, when it was known as Handicap International. The organization has since developed a global approach to disability, aiming to reduce poverty and situations of vulnerability, while working to ensure development and emergency responses are accessible to all. After nearly forty years of action, teams in fifty-five countries perform this critical work today.

Assessing Ukraine's Victim Assistance Capacities, Kateryna Mashchenko, Tetiana Shymanchuk, Oleh Stoiev, Nick Vovk

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Six years into the protracted crisis, explosive ordnance (EO) contamination continues to affect Ukrainian communities. Consequent to the conflict between the government of Ukraine and the so-called de facto authorities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, EO affects an estimated 7,000 square kilometers of land in government-controlled areas (GCAs). Even without complete data from the non-government-controlled areas (NGCAs), Ukraine ranks among the five most affected places in the world for EO casualties. But for EO victims the path forward remains fraught with difficulties. According to the International Mine Action Standards, victim assistance (VA) requires a long-term commitment, a responsibility that …

Explosive Ordnance Victims And Risk Education: Lessons Learned From Colombia 2012-2019, Salomé Valencia, Angela Desantis, Matt Wilson, Sebastián Tovar Jaramillo, Angela Patricia Cortés Sánchez, Ana Jaquelin Jaimes Alfonso

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In Colombia, the use of anti-personnel mines is the result of more than sixty years of armed conflict. The Office of the High Commissioner for Peace - Descontamina Colombia (OACP-DC), the current national mine action authority in Colombia, recorded 11,828 explosive ordnance (EO) victims between 1985 and 2019. Furthermore, Colombia is one of nine countries where new anti-personnel mines are still being emplaced by non-state armed groups, which presents a challenge for the mine action sector. The aim of explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) is to reduce the risk of accidents by raising awareness and promoting safe behavior among EO-affected …

Community-Based Inclusive Development: Integrating Survivors Into A Broader Victim Assistance System, Bernard Franck, Donna Koolmees, Sarah French

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

During the Vietnam War, an estimated 580,000 or more bombing missions were carried out over Laos, dropping two million tons of ordnance across the country.¹ This contaminated Laos with approximately 80 million items of unexploded ordnance (UXO),² including ‘big bombs,’ cluster munition and sub-munition bomblets, grenades, rockets, and other types of ammunition.³ There also remain an unknown number of landmines across the country which are further remnants of the war. Today, fifteen out of eighteen provinces and approximately 25 percent of villages are still affected.⁴ Between 1964 and 2017, 50,754 people were killed or injured as …

Mineland, The Endless War: A Photo Essay, Rocco Rorandelli

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Many modern conflicts leave behind unexploded ordnance (UXO) in their aftermath, inflicting severe human, social, and economic costs. Europe is not immune from this issue. Today, landmine-affected countries in Europe include Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Serbia. With an average removal cost of 1,000 euros per mine, reduced funding is the main reason why demining is still unfinished in this region after more than 20 years of work. Every year, deminers and civilians die or are injured because of ordnance explosions.

A common sentiment of all organizations involved in demining operations is that greater funds are required to increase …

Shattered Lives And Bodies: Recovery Of Survivors Of Improvised Explosive Devices And Explosive Remnants Of War In Northeast Syria, Médecins Sans Frontières

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In northeast Syria, fighting, airstrikes, and artillery shelling have led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians from the cities of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, as well as rural areas along the eastern bank of the Euphrates River. Now that active fighting has moved toward the Syrian- Iraqi border, the population is beginning to return home. However, explosive remnants of war (ERW), improvised explosive devices (IED), and booby traps (remaining from conflict or planted purposefully in homes) continue to put the returning population at immense risk and further obstruct vital humanitarian access.

Epidemiological Study Of Landmines/ Erw Accidents And Victims In Kachin, Kayah, And Shan States, Burma, Julien Zwang, Pascal Simon

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In Burma, there is no systematic and organized victim information system (VIS) of landmine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) victims, and few studies have been conducted on the topic, in particular in Kachin, Kayah, and Northern Shan States (NSS), where most of the accidents have recently occurred. Between 2015 and 2016, casualty reports compiled by the Mine Risk Working Group (MRWG) chaired by the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) showed that the number of mine/ERW victims increased by 58% in the country, particularly in Kachin and Shan States, while the number of victims decreased in Kayin State. Documenting victims’ …

Catholic Relief Services: Information And Communication Technology In Monitoring And Evaluation, Nguyen Tuan Phong, Ta Thi Hai Yen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In February 2015, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Vietnam initiated a new project to support the reintegration and rehabilitation of survivors of accidents involving landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). With funding from the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA), CRS’ Access and Reintegration (A&R) project takes a comprehensive approach to serving the needs of 3,219 survivors of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces. Through collaboration with the Government of Vietnam’s provincial Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (DOLISA), CRS provides survivors …

Emerging Patterns Of Erw Injuries In Laos, Stacey Pizzino, Colette Mcinerney, Jo Durham

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The year 2016 marks the beginning of a new era for international development, with the adoption of seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that will drive global development efforts until 2030. In post-conflict countries, humanitarian mine action will be an important enabler in achieving a number of SDGs, including goal 3: “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” Of particular relevance is target 3.9 of the SDGs, which specifies the need to reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from soil pollution and contamination. At present this relates primarily to indoor and outdoor air pollution. However, since …

The Journal Of Erw And Mine Action Issue 19.3 (2015), Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Focus: The Middle East | Feature: Victim Assistance | Special Report | Notes from the Field | Research and Development

Prostheses For Pachyderm Landmine Survivors, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Many times the only landmine survivors considered candidates for prostheses are humans; however, there are also pachyderm victims in need of assistance. Along the Thai-Burmese border, a heavily mined area, elephants that are used for logging, as well as wild elephants, often fall victim to landmines. Lacking other options and unable to care for the animals in this condition, their caretakers frequently opt to end the animals’ lives.

Medical Support To Demining In Sudan, Russell Wyper

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

With an area of more than one million square miles (2,589,988 square kilometers), Sudan is the largest country on the African continent and has been at the center of decades of conflict since it gained its independence in 1959. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in January 2005 brought to end a vicious civil war and marked the beginning of an era of relative peace. This article outlines the health challenges involved in mine action in Sudan and highlights the actions taken by the United Nations Mine Action Office in Sudan to address issues of medical support to humanitarian-demining operations in …

I Remember My Lost Leg: The Story Of Istahil, Dahib Mohamad Odwaa

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As a young girl of just 11 years, Istahil Ismail Ali's life was changed in an instant when she became the victim of a landmine explosion and lost her leg. The author tells of her challenges and the hardships her family has suffered as a result, while also describing the proactive measures Istahil has taken to combat this injustice.

International Eurasia Press Fund Works In Azerbaijan, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Problems with explosive remnants of war in Azerbaijan stem from emplacement of mines by the Soviet Union between 1988 and 1994. Mines were used along Azerbaijan’s expansive border region and military installations. More recently, ERW have been left behind from Azerbaijan’s battles over territorial integrity. The International Eurasia Press Fund has developed a program to address the needs of mine victims in one of the country’s most heavily mined regions. The Mine Victims’ Association of the Terter district is working to rehabilitate victims in numerous ways, providing participants with the skills and information they need to lead productive, independent lives …

Survey Helps Anama Realize New Mva Projects, Rauf Mamedov

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Following a Mine Survivors Needs Assessment Survey in 2004, the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action and several nongovernmental organizations are working closely to bring victim assistance to mine and unexploded ordnance survivors throughout Azerbaijan. Since 2005, victim assistance in Azerbaijan has included five needs-based projects, as well as individual assistance provided to survivors, such as treatment sponsorship and wheelchair provision.

Effects Of Landmines On Sri Lanka, K.T. Manjula Udayanga Hemapala

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In Sri Lanka, statistics show people between the ages of 20 and 45 are the most likely to be injured by landmines. When they are disabled, they become a burden to the country’s economy, requiring assistance instead of contributing to the country’s growth. This article discusses how landmines affect Sri Lanka and the efforts being undertaken to lessen their impact.

The Aftermath Of War, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The recent conflict between Hezbollah and Israel resulted in many civilian victims and though the fighting has ended, the problems are nowhere near over for the civilians of Lebanon whose country is littered with cluster bomblets. This article explains the effects of the conflict on Lebanese civilians and describes how organizations are trying to eradicate the cluster-submunitions problem and provide aid to affected civilians.

Mine Victims Needs Assessment And Assistance Coordination, Aziz Aliyev, Rauf Mamedov, Umud Mirzoyev, Siyab Mamedov

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

A UNICEF feasibility study conducted in early 2001 showed that medical and surgical facilities in Azerbaijan are adequate to meet the immediate needs of mine survivors. In general, physical rehabilitation facilities are also considered suitable; however, the lack of psycho-social support to assist mine survivors with a disability is of particular concern. The study concluded that an integrated and comprehensive assistance program could not be established for the mine victims of Azerbaijan until a needs assessment was completed. In response, Azerbaijan planned and conducted a national survey to assess mine victims’ needs, including prosthetic, social and economic needs, as a …

Assisting Landmine Accident Survivors In The Thai-Burmese Border Region, Imbert Matthee

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

No abstract provided.

Hidden Killers In Afghanistan, Khair M. Sharif

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Years of demining and mine action operations have reduced the number of casualties in Afghanistan, and lives are beginning to improve. Yet about eight percent of the estimated 33,000 communities in the country continue to be impacted and 12 percent of those are considered high-impact communities.

Survivor Assistance Profile: Clear Path International Rebuilding Shattered Lives In Southeast Asia, Imbert Matthee

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

When Clear Path International (CPI) staff first met Le Van Phuc in the spring of 2001, the 29-year-old Vietnamese UXO survivor's situation was desperate. He had suffered multiple injuries after he set off an unidentified piece of ordnance while hoeing in the backyard of his family's home in Dong Ha.

New Questionnaire Form Tested During Anama Countrywide Survey, Rauf Mamedov

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

From June until October 2004, the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) Countrywide Survey Project on Mine/UXO Survivors' Needs Research was implemented. Research has revealed about 2,300 mine and UXO survivors in Azerbaijan, and a wide range of needs of 1,883 of them has been studied. The new questionnaire form, added to the standard Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) Casualty Incident Form, has covered a wide range of mine survivors' needs and served as a basis for research.

Missed Opportunities: The Need For Landmine Survivor Rehabilitation In Rural Areas, Stephen Meyers

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Persons with disabilities in developing countries are "regarded by their own communities as the most disadvantaged," yet poverty alleviation and international aid programs have consistently failed to prioritize their rehabilitation and integration into society. Within the scope of mine action (landmine removal, victim assistance and mine risk education), landmine survivor assistance receives only five percent of all humanitarian mine action funding. Persons with disabilities, whether their disabilities were caused by war, agricultural or industrial accidents, diabetes, infection or other causes, are often ignored.

From Desperation To Self-Confidence: An Interview With Landmine Survivor Mr. Francisco Peralta, Juan Carlos Ruan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mr. Francisco Peralta is a Nicaraguan landmine survivor from Ocotal, Department of Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua, who, as with many landmine victims, lost much more than his limbs to this weapon. Mr. Peralta lost his livelihood, his ability to support his family, his self-confidence, and his overall happiness. Through his integration into the Organization of American States’ (OAS’s) rehabilitation program, however, his life has changed 100 percent. Today he stands as a testament to the success of the OAS program and the need for this type of program to assist landmine survivors and help them literally and figuratively get back on …

Community-Based Rehabilitation Program Design And Implementation In Central America, Michael Lundquist

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Since 1997, the Polus Center for Social & Economic Development, Inc., has been supporting orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) services in Central America. In 1999, Polus expanded its effort and, in collaboration with local citizens of Leon, Nicaragua, opened Walking Unidos, an outreach O&P workshop. Since the success of Walking Unidos, the Polus Center has helped develop two other O&P programs: Vida Nueva in Choluteca, Honduras, and the other in Managua, Nicaragua, a venture made possible with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). In addition, the Polus Center developed several other disability-related programs, including the Disability …