Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Helping Hands In A Shattered Republic: Victim Assistance In Chechnya, Hayden Roberts

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Chechnya has endured over eight years of grueling combat with Russia. Thousands of landmines have been sown throughout Chechnya and the victim toll is constantly increasing. Victim assistance throughout the Caucasus has become an essential element of rebuilding the lives of those affected by landmines.

Revolutionizing Prosthetics, Chaz Holder’S Legacy Creates Opportunities For Amputees, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This summer, the mine action community lost a man who revolutionized the way prostheses are designed for amputees. Dr. Chaz Holder, president and founder of CZBioMed Enterprises, passed away but left behind encouraging technology to improve the lives of amputees around the world.

Victim Assistance Policy Planning: Decentralization As A Key?, Philippe Chabasse

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

While victim assistance is becoming an increasingly familiar topic for signatories of the Mine Ban Treaty, the problem remains of how best to implement such programs. The author suggests that it is time for a switch from “top down” to “bottom up” implementation.

Victim Assistance: Response From A Socio-Economic Perspective, Chhouk Chantha

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

World Vision International has been helping the disabled in Cambodia since the early 1970s. The author emphasizes that a focus on a socio-economic approach to victim assistance is important to ensure successful rehabilitation of the disabled.

Paths To Recovery: Coordinated And Comprehensive Care For Landmine Survivors, Beth Sperber Richie, Angela Ferguson, Zahabia Adamaly, Dalia El-Khoury, Maria Gomez

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

By conducting interviews with survivors of landmine incidents, Landmine Survivors Network (LSN) has been able to learn a lot about rehabilitative needs from the perspective of the patients. This article describes how physical health, psychological well-being and socio-economic reintegration are all important components of a complete recovery for landmine victims.

An Oas Update, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Organization of American States (OAS) Mine Action Program works extensively in Central America. Over the past year, a number of activities have been conducted, including the organization’s expansion to parts of South America.

The Bhmac: A New Law, New Structure And New Hope In Bosnia, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

After years of struggling with an inefficient mine action structure, a new demining law has revitalized the Bosnia-Herzegovina Mine Action Center (BHMAC). Bosnians finally have the means to conquer their landmine troubles.

Ending The Tragedy Of Landmines Through Innovation And Cooperation, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Rotary International, the U.S. State Department and James Madison University’s Mine Action Information Center (MAIC) gathered with many of the world’s leading mine action authorities to quantify the global landmine crisis. It was everyone’s hope that the conference would yield a greater level of synergy, as well as harness the considerable resources of the Rotarians. Given the overwhelming response and participation, it appears that those wishes will be granted.

Help Is Around The Corner: Cbr In Bosnia, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) allows Bosnians to receive rehabilitation services within their own community, offering many advantages to Bosnians and Bosnia.

Landmine Survivors Network Victim Assistance Programs, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Landmine Survivors Network (LSN) assists victims through the support of other landmine survivors. A number of programs and networks are available for coping and reintegrating survivors and their families back into their communities.

Funding Mine Risk Education: Saving Lives Around The Globe, Jenny Lange

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mine risk education is an important tool in preventing mine-related injuries and deaths. The U.S. State Department has provided funding to many mine risk education programs in several different countries, giving mine-affected communities the knowledge necessary to live their daily lives with more caution and less fear.

Unicef: A Leader In Mine Awareness, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As the United Nation’s lead agency on mine awareness/mine risk education (MRE), the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has done work in about 30 countries that suffer from the effects of landmines. Their programs help affected populations cope with the problems of landmines and give them the means to carry out their daily lives as safely as possible until their land can be cleared and returned to productive use.

Life Is More Than An Artificial Leg: The Luena/Angola Experience, Sebastian Kasack

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Medico International is a German non-governmental organization (NGO) that specializes in socio-medical care and advocacy from the onset of an emergency throughout the rehabilitation and reintegration process.

Vvaf And Sports For Life: Promoting Rehabilitation, Reintegration And Rights, Sarah Warren

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation’s (VVAF) Sports for Life program gives people with disabilities a chance to come together around sports, providing important opportunities for social reintegration.

Landmines: A Survivor’S Tale, Ken Rutherford

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

I am a bilateral lower leg amputee as a result of a 1993 landmine accident in Somalia. Many readers of the Journal of Mine Action know the horrible landmine casualty statistics and facts. I hope that you will also contribute to making the world safer for all of us and help prevent similar stories.

The Challenge Of Prosthetic Services In Developing Countries, Michael Lundquist

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Providing landmine victims and other disabled persons with the support and services they need to recover can be a challenging process in developing countries. The author describes that a holistic approach to rehabilitative care is necessary and applies this principle to community-based rehabilitation (CBR).

Seven Common Myths About Landmine Victim Assistance, Dennis Barlow

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Any good mine action campaign will consider victim assistance. Yet there persist certain myths, which if not dealt with, make planning and conducting a victim assistance activity difficult at best. Anyone who wants to understand landmine victim assistance and further its cause should take heed of the following “myths” and plan accordingly.

Ddasaccident406, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

At some time between 05:50 and 05:55 whilst travelling south, the rear right wheel of the 110 detonated an AT mine. The vehicle was thrown forward and through an arc of 180° coming to rest facing approximately north 5 metres from the point of impact. The driver [Victim no.1] exited the vehicle by the drivers side door. [Victim no.2] exited through the windscreen area (the entire window and rubber surround having been blown out).

Ddasaccident586, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The incident occurred after the rear right wheel of the [Demining group] Land Rover 110 travelled over the top of an anti-tank mine, possibly a Belgian PRB-M3 minimum metal anti-tank mine buried at depth of less than 10cm, causing it to detonate. The mine had been missed by two mine detection dogs who had previously searched the lane in both directions.

Ddasaccident399, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

At 12:25 the whistle for changeover was blown and the teams started the change over. This was also the change over for the last shift for the day as the demining operation stops at 13:00. During this change over [Deminer No.2] finished his duties for the day and [the Victim] was to work the last shift of twenty-five minutes. The change over took place and according to [Deminer No.2] all the equipment and PPE were handed over and a short briefing was done. He said that he left the working area. Before the second whistle was blown, that was suppose …

Report On The Mission To Validate The Pilot County Mine Action Plan For Croatia, Ted Paterson, Eric Filippino

Global CWD Repository

This report covers the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of a mission from the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Mine Action (GICHD) on behalf of the UNDP-Croatia and the Croatian Mine Action Centre (CROMAC) undertaken from 11-15 November 2002. The purpose of the mission was to assess the relevance and effectiveness of the methods used to develop the pilot County Mine Action Plan (CMAC) in Croatia.

Decision Support For Mine Action - Kosovo, Aldo Benini

Global CWD Repository

Shortly after deploying the first-ever landmine impact survey team to the field in Yemen during July 1999, Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) was asked by the European Union and the U.S. State Department’s Office for Global Humanitarian Demining Programs to make a critical contribution to the international response in the province of Kosovo in the former Republic of Yugoslavia. The mission: to classify affected communities in Kosovo by the severity of socio-economic impacts caused by landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) and develop a system for prioritizing the tasks that the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Center (UNMACC) managed. The …

Ddasaccident432, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

From the accompanying photographs, some details of the accident are inferred. From the report, some information is gleaned, such as the fact that PROM-1 and PMA-3 mines were anticipated.

Ddasaccident392, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The Team Leader started to walk out to the rest area and [the victim] started to mark the cleared area by knocking in red pickets. After approx 12 m, (when Team Leader was facing the access lane in a Northern direction), an uncontrolled detonation occurred.

Rhino Earth Tiller Test Report: Area Reduction In Mixed Minefields, Christopher Wanner

Global CWD Repository

The Rhino is a tracked tilling vehicle custom designed and built from the ground up. The working tiller consists of two horizontal drums, stacked one overtop of the other. The drums are studded with commercially available, asphalt shredding chisels. The lower drum counter rotates against the direction of vehicle travel, excavating soil and objects from burial depths of 25 – 35 centimeters. The excavated soil and constituent objects are carried up the face of the lower, digging drum and into the 1 to 5 centimeter gap between the lower and upper drums. The chisels on the two drums mesh with …

A Study Of The Benefits Of U.S. Military-To-Military Cooperation In Humanitarian Demining, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

The United States (U.S.) Department of Defense (DoD) Humanitarian Demining Programme has four explicit goals:

1. TO ASSIST HOST NATIONS IN ESTABLISHING LONG-TERM, SUSTAINABLE, INDIGENOUS HUMANITARIAN DEMINING PROGRAMMES;

2. TO EXPLOIT THE SYNERGISM BETWEEN THE DOD HUMANITARIAN DEMINING PROGRAMME AND OTHER SIMILAR INTERNATIONAL, REGIONAL AND U.S. EFFORTS;

3. TO ESTABLISH A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO PROVIDING THE APPROPRIATE EQUIPMENT, TECHNICAL DATA, AND OTHER SUPPORT TO CONDUCT MINE AWARENESS AND MINE CLEARANCE TRAINING PROGRAMMES AND, WHENEVER POSSIBLE, EQUIPMENT FOR NEWLY TRAINED PERSONNEL TO THE FIELD; AND

4. TO SUPPORT U.S. FOREIGN POLICY AND SECURITY INTERESTS.

Ddasaccident395, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On the 26th September 2002 at approximately 1430 hrs whilst [Name excised, the Victim], was ploughing a field in Raab ett Talatine, a detonation occurred under the left hand back wheel of his tractor.

Ddasaccident393, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

[The Victim] then excavated around the front and right hand side of the rock using his right hand, nothing being located. As it would have been difficult to excavate around the left hand side of the rock using his right hand he swapped hands and started to excavate using his left hand, (something that [the Victim] regularly does). [the Victim] had excavated approximately 15 cms in depth when there was an uncontrolled detonation.

Ddasaccident463, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Details of this accident have been withheld by the demining NGO that employed the Victim. A spreadsheet including the Victim’s name and very brief details of the accident was made available in 2007. Some details can be inferred from the information released. For example, the injury implies that the victim’s visor was not being worn in the correct manner, and the loss of one eye and severe injury to the other implies a severe facial injury.

4th Meeting Of The States Parties To The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (2002), Apmbc

Global CWD Repository

The Fourth Meeting of the States Parties was held 16-10 September 2002 in Geneva under the presidency of Ambassador Jean Lint of Belgium