LANDMINE VICTIM ASSISTANCE IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE Final Study Report by Sheree Bailey BELGIUM September 2003 2 This report was produced by Handicap International Belgium in collaboration with the Landmine Monitor research network in South East Europe BELGIUM The project was commissioned by the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance with funding provided by Canada and the US Department of State Cover photo: Mine survivors and their families in Vlahan, Albania CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction 5 Overview 7 Challenges/Gaps in landmine victim assistance 10 Opportunities for regional cooperation 11 COUNTRY REPORTS Albania 13 Bosnia and Herzegovina 23 Croatia 38 Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 51 Serbia and Montenegro 61 Province of Kosovo 71 Slovenia 85 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The study was undertaken in cooperation between Handicap International Belgium and the Landmine Monitor country research network for South East Europe including the Illyricum Fund (Albania), Wenche Brenden and Slavisa Bjelogrlic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Maja Stanojevic (Croatia), Robert Pokrovac (FYR Macedonia), Stipan Sikavica and Marijana Obradovic (Serbia and Montenegro), and Andy Wheatley (Kosovo). I would like to thank Eva Veble and Sabina Beber from the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance for their support throughout the planning and implementation of this study. Special thanks to the donors, the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the US Department of State, without whom the study would not have been implemented. Special thanks must go to the people that coordinated the field visits, arranged interviews, provided translations, and assisted with research and proofreading. • In Albania – Anila Alibali and Veri Dogjani; • In Bosnia and Herzegovina – Wenche Brenden, Adnana Handzić and Bojan Vuković; • In Croatia – Dijana Pleština, Martina Belošević and Liljana Čalić-Žminć and Željko Getoš; • In Serbia and Montenegro – Marjana Lubovac; • In Kosovo – Driton Ukmata and all the staff at Handicap International Kosovo; and • Dorothy Uljarevic, Brett Bellchambers and Kelvin Bailey I would also like to thank all the individuals and organizations that agreed to be interviewed for this study and gave so freely of their time. And finally, thank you to the mine survivors who shared their experiences so that we could gain new insights into the importance of appropriate and sustainable victim assistance programs. Sheree Bailey Project Coordinator Handicap International Belgium (Landmine Monitor Victim Assistance Research Coordinator) [[email protected]] September 2003 Landmine Victim Assistance in South East Europe – Executive Summary 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction The extensive use of landmines in armed conflicts in South East Europe during the 1990s and early 2000s has caused casualties in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, and the province of Kosovo. The exact number of casualties, either killed or injured, is not known. However, based on available data, it is known that landmine survivors number in the thousands in the region. Previously available research indicated that countries in the region had facilities and services that could assist landmine survivors. Nevertheless, no detailed study had been made to ascertain whether these facilities/services were accessible to landmine survivors, or whether these facilities/services had the capacity to comprehensively address the needs of mine victims. Both the Reay Group and the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF) identified the need for more detailed knowledge on the gaps in mine victim assistance in the region. In December 2002, Handicap International Belgium, in cooperation with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines’ (ICBL) Landmine Monitor research network, began a research project on behalf of the Reay Group, which was funded through the ITF by Canada and the US State Department. The principal benefit of the study is that it will provide the ITF, donors, and service providers, with a clearer picture of the state of victim assistance in South East Europe. The information obtained for the study is as comprehensive as possible; however, it is not exhaustive. Nevertheless, the study is a starting point that should encourage relevant actors, including government authorities, donors, and local and international program implementers, to share information, to make informed decisions on where to direct resources, or to develop new initiatives, that will promote the complete care, rehabilitation and reintegration of landmine survivors. The study will also identify opportunities for regional cooperation in the development of a sustainable assistance capacity. The Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration promotes a comprehensive integrated approach to victim assistance that rests on a three-tiered definition of a landmine victim. This means that a mine victim includes directly affected individuals, their families, and mine-affected communities. Consequently, victim assistance is viewed as a wide range of activities that benefit individuals, families and communities. However, for the purposes of this study the focus was on services and facilities that address the care and rehabilitation of those individuals who have suffered physical injury from landmines. While the focus of the study is on landmine victims, it looked at facilities and services provided by both government and non government agencies that assist not only mine casualties but the population generally, including other persons with disabilities. Landmine survivors were not viewed as a group separate from other war victims or persons with disabilities, as assistance programs should be developed within the framework of disability in general. Countries/areas included in the study: ¾ Albania ¾ Bosnia and Herzegovina ¾ Croatia ¾ Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYR) Landmine Victim Assistance in South East Europe – Executive Summary 6 ¾ Serbia and Montenegro ¾ Province of Kosovo ¾ Slovenia Study Objectives: The study objectives are to: ¾ Present a clearer picture of the number of landmine survivors in the region ¾ Identify services/facilities for landmine survivors in the region ¾ Determine the capacity of existing services/facilities to address the needs of landmine survivors ¾ Identify challenges/gaps in providing landmine victim assistance in the region ¾ Identify opportunities for regional cooperation in victim assistance ¾ Provide an analysis and data for States, donors, and victim assistance practitioners to improve the effectiveness and reach of victim assistance programming responses. Methodology: Through country-specific research the study documented existing victim assistance capacities in several countries in South East Europe. The study focused on the key components of landmine victim assistance and priority issues as identified by the actors in the field and the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration: - ¾ Landmine Casualties and Data Collection ¾ Emergency and Continuing Medical Care ¾ Physical Rehabilitation (including prosthetics/orthotics) ¾ Psycho-social Support ¾ Vocational Training and Economic Reintegration ¾ Capacity Building ¾ Disability policy and practice ¾ Coordination and Planning Landmine Monitor country researchers conducted initial investigations which were followed up with field visits by the project coordinator during the period 10 February to 3 May 2003 to Croatia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, Kosovo, and FYR Macedonia. The project coordinator is responsible for this final report. The research tools included: ¾ questionnaires ¾ interviews with relevant Ministries, service providers, and landmine survivors ¾ field visits to hospitals and rehabilitation facilities ¾ the five annual Landmine Monitor Reports ¾ a review of relevant reports and documents Landmine Victim Assistance in South East Europe – Executive Summary 7 Overview Landmine Casualties and Data Collection New mine casualties continue to be reported in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, and Serbia and Montenegro and the province of Kosovo, adding to the number of mine survivors in the region needing assistance. A mechanism for mine casualty data collection has been implemented in each country; however, the reported number of casualties is not comprehensive and the number of mine survivors in the refugee population is not known. Reported Mine/UXO Casualties1 Total Killed Survivors Unknown Albania 241 20 221 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4,801 928 3,873 Croatia 1,848 414 1,373 61 FYR Macedonia 220 35 185 Serbia and Montenegro 142 30 57 55 Province of Kosovo 472 100 372 Total 7,724 1,527 6,081 116 According to a survey by Landmine Survivors Network, only 18 percent of mine survivors are psychologically and physically well, and self sustainable; 82 percent need continuous follow-up and support. Emergency and Continuing Medical Care In the past, the countries of the former Yugoslavia reportedly had well-developed health care infrastructures. However, years of armed conflict, sanctions and difficult socio-economic conditions have impacted on the quality of care available. For example, in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 35 and 50 percent of the health infrastructure was destroyed during the war. Generally, over the past few years the situation appears to be