FACTSHEET – How to implement Victim assistance obligations? | October 6, 2014
The Victim Assistance Factsheets were developed by Handicap International as a tool to provide concise information on what victim assistance (VA) is and on how to translate it into concrete actions that have the potential to improve the quality of life of mine/ERW victims and persons with disabilities. © Frederik Buyckx / Handicap International – […]
The Victim Assistance Factsheets were developed by Handicap International as a tool to provide concise information on what victim assistance (VA) is and on how to translate it into concrete actions that have the potential to improve the quality of life of mine/ERW victims and persons with disabilities.
© Frederik Buyckx / Handicap International – Liban 2014
Assistance to victims of mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) is an obligation for States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty (MBT) and the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM). The Cartagena Action Plan and the Vientiane Action Plan include specific commitments that States Parties have agreed on to implement their victim assistance (VA) obligations effectively, in particular to improve the quality of life of victims. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) provides the most comprehensive framework to address the needs & advances the rights of all persons with disabilities, including mine/ERW survivors.
Regional frameworks on disability and development are also relevant, such as the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disability in Asia and the Pacific and the African Decade of Persons with Disabilities.
The factsheets provide guidance on how to ensure impact of broad efforts in all sectors that can affect Victim Assistance. They target States Parties affected by mine/ERW, States Parties in a position to provide assistance, as well as organizations of survivors and other persons with disabilities, and other civil society – and international organizations.
The package consists of 12 factsheets:
- Six focus on a specific sector or public policy area that VA is an integral part of,
- And the remaining six are dedicated to cross-cutting issues. With a view to promote synergies between different frameworks, each factsheet makes clear links with development sectors and issues.
This approach aims to avoid duplication of efforts and gaps between those done in the context of VA and other development efforts, to promote linkages between similar initiatives and to facilitate an efficient use of resources.
More importantly, integrating VA in wider efforts on Inclusive Development will result in more significant and sustainable improvement in the quality of life on mine/ERW victims and persons with disabilities, which is the main goal of Victim assistance.
Download the factsheets in English or in French
Download the factsheets in Arabic: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 –12 – cover.
Other languages available upon request: Dari, Lao, Myanmar, Pashto, Persian, Portuguese, Spanish.