Lebanon

Casualties and Victim Assistance

Last updated: 09 October 2016

Summary points based on findings

  • Create a sustainable funding strategy for the physical rehabilitation sector that relies on international funding and national donations.
  • Ensure that all survivors in the Lebanon Mine Action Center (LMAC) database have received a healthcare card to facilitate their access to care.
  • Introduce standards for prosthetic devices.

Victim assistance commitments

The Lebanese Republic is responsible for significant numbers of cluster munition victims and survivors of other explosive remnants of war (ERW), as well as landmine survivors, who are in need. Lebanon has victim assistance obligations under the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Lebanon signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 14 June 2007.

Casualties

Casualties Overview

All known casualties by end of 2015

At least 3,736 mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties (906 killed; 2,830 injured)

Casualties in 2015

17 (2014: 16)

2015 casualties by outcome

2 killed; 15 injured (2014: 1 killed; 15 injured)

2015 casualties by device type

1 unspecified landmine, 1 antipersonnel mine, 1 antivehicle mine, 13 cluster submunition, 1 unknown device

 

In 2015, Lebanon Mine Action Center (LMAC) identified 17 mine/ERW casualties. Thirteen of the casualties were boys and the other four were adult men. No female casualties were recorded in 2015 (or 2014). Thirteen casualties were caused by cluster munition remnants.[1] Of the remaining casualties, three were caused by mines and for the other casualty the device was not recorded.[2] A single incident in March 2015, caused the majority of casualties recorded during the year when a group of children were injured in an incident with an unexploded submunition remaining from the 2006 attacks.[3] At least eight of the casualties were refugees living in Lebanon.[4] In September 2015, Lebanon had reported that six Syrians had been injured by cluster munitions so far that year.[5] No deminer casualties were reported in 2015.

The 17 casualties identified in 2015 was similar to the 16 casualties reported in 2014 and represented a decrease of some 30% from the 24 casualties identified in 2013. However, the annual total remained higher than in 2012 (nine casualties)[6] and 2011 (six casualties), while 24 casualties were reported by LMAC in 2010.[7] Annual mine/ERW casualty rates had been declining significantly from the 98 casualties in the year 2000, except for a spike in casualties between August and December 2006, immediately following the July 2006 bombing and cluster munition attacks on southern Lebanon.[8]

The total number of mine/ERW casualties in Lebanon recorded from 1975 to December 2015 was 3,741 mine/ERW casualties.[9] Of these casualties, over 80% were male and less than 20% were female; 27% were children. Of the casualties, 87% are survivors and 13% were killed by cluster munitions (see section on cluster munition casualties, directly below).[10]

Cluster munition casualties

LMAC reported 13 unexploded submunition casualties for 2015. Through December 2015, the Monitor has identified 733 cluster munition casualties, including those recorded by LMAC. Little data is available on casualties that occurred during cluster munition strikes; only 16 (three killed; 13 injured) were identified.[11] LMAC data for the same time period indicated 685 casualties (157 killed; 528 injured) from unexploded submunitions, of which 19% (132) were children at the time of the incident.[12]

Victim Assistance

There were at least 2,818 mine/ERW survivors in Lebanon as of December 2014.[13]

Victim assistance during the Vientiane Action Plan 2011–2015

The number of national and international actors involved in providing a range of victim assistance services to mine/ERW survivors throughout the country increased following bombing and cluster munition attacks by Israel in 2006. Victim assistance has been coordinated through regular meetings of the Steering Committee hosted by the LMAC since 2001, however Lebanon began to develop a national victim assistance strategy for the first time in 2011. In 2012, a detailed victim assistance needs assessment was conducted by a Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) consultant to enable a longer-term victim assistance strategy to be developed.[14] NPA and LMAC’s jointly initiated assessment was carried out in line with the Lebanon National Strategy 2011–2020 that requires a regular needs assessment of the situation of, and services available to, cluster munition victims.[15] The victim assistance strategy established targets for comprehensive victim assistance by 2020.

There was a major decrease in funds for victim assistance activities in 2012, and as a result of few activities being implemented, the National Steering Committee on Victim Assistance met infrequently that year. In 2013, the committee began to return to previous levels of activity.[16]

In 2013, further steps were taken to establish coordination between the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Steering Committee to ensure that all eligible survivors will be granted a disability card by 2016.[17] Lebanon was in the process of reviewing the eligibility requirements for persons with disabilities, including mine/ERW survivors, to receive disability cards to entitle them to some free health services.[18]

Due to the crisis in Syria, diversion of healthcare resources and other services to assist incoming refugees from that country increased.

Victim assistance in 2015

The funding situation had improved since 2013, however, the existing level of support was still insufficient to serve the victims.[19] The recent influx of large numbers of refugees from Syria continued to exacerbate the situation. In particular, Lebanon noted that resources remained scarce while international assistance to Lebanon remained “relatively insignificant compared to the size of the crisis.”[20]

Assessing victim assistance needs

The victim assistance survey, launched in 2013 by LMAC, was finalized in 2014.[21] LMAC conducted a national needs assessment survey that reached out to a randomly selected sample of 690 victims (survivors and deceased) and their families. It assessed medical, economic, social, psychological, and educational/training needs, as well as opportunities and challenges.[22] Survey data provided the Steering Committee with information, focusing mostly on medical and rehabilitation needs.[23] Upon analysis of the survey data, the Steering Committee determined that there was a need for a new national needs assessment survey. In 2015, LMAC continued to update the mine victims’ database.[24]

In response to the influx of Syrian refugees, the ICRC conducted a physical rehabilitation needs assessment mission in 2014. After the assessment, the ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Project Manager began working to further assess the situation and build relationships with physical rehabilitation services in Lebanon.[25]

Victim assistance coordination[26]

Government coordinating body/focal point

LMAC

Coordinating mechanism(s)

National Steering Committee on Victim Assistance (Steering Committee), coordinated by LMAC and involving national victim assistance NGO service providers and relevant government ministries

Plan

Victim Assistance Strategy as part of Lebanon Mine Action National Strategy 2011–2020

 

LMAC manages and coordinates the implementation of victim assistance in Lebanon through the National Steering Committee on Victim Assistance. The committee includes representatives of the following organizations:

  • The Injured and Victims of War Association;
  • The Islamic Al Rissala Scouts Association;
  • The Islamic Health Council;
  • The Landmines Resource Center;
  • The Lebanese Association for Health and Social Care;
  • The Lebanese Welfare Association for the Handicapped;
  • The Ministry of Social Affairs;
  • The National Rehabilitation and Development Center;
  • Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA);
  • The Philanthropic Association for the Handicapped in Nabatiyeh;
  • The Vision Association for Development, Rehabilitation and Care;
  • The World Rehabilitation Fund.

The committee is responsible for implementing the victim assistance strategy in addition to ensuring coordination between the different stakeholders.[27] In 2015, the committee held eight meetings to discuss on-going and future projects as well as updates on the national situation. Additionally, two workshops on national standards for victim assistance were held in 2015.[28]

The Lebanon Mine Action Strategy 2011–2020 includes a commitment to the “full realisation of the rights of mine victims guaranteed,” where “all victims are provided with medical, social, psychological, and economic support as part of the fulfillment of their full legal rights as stated in the law 220/2000.” The strategy contains a specific reference to victim assistance in the context of the Article 5 obligation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the “spirit of compliance” with the Mine Ban Treaty, and implementation of the CRPD.[29]

The midterm review of the Lebanon Mine Action Strategy 2011–2020 was completed in 2014. Based on the review, new next “milestones” for 2016 were amended to include:

  • All eligible victims have been issued disability cards through a coordination mechanism set between Ministry of Social Affairs and the Steering Committee headed by LMAC;
  • The implementation of Law 220/2000 has been advocated for through meetings organized with the relevant ministries and with the private sector;
  • 4,200 copies of the booklet designed to increase victims’ awareness towards their rights has been distributed to victims and the private sector;
  • An advocacy campaign has been organized by survivors to advocate their rights;
  • National standards for prosthetic devices have been set;
  • 90 victims have been provided with prosthetic devices, 54 with prosthetics repair services, and 15 with assistive devices;
  • A survivor satisfaction survey has been implemented for 100 victims and 100 family members;
  • 280 survivors have been trained to enhance their income-generation skills;
  • 60 survivors have been trained in advocacy;
  • 20 survivors have been provided with funds to implement their income-generating projects;
  • Memorandums of understanding (MoUs) have been drafted with at least two entities from the private sector to provide services to victims.

Lebanon provided an update on its progress and challenges in implementing victim assistance at the Convention on Cluster Munitions First Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty in Dubrovnik in September 2015.[30] Lebanon submitted its Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 report for calendar year 2015 that includes information on victim assistance.

In 2015, an external evaluator from the EU visited Lebanon to evaluate the implementation of EU-funded projects regarding victim assistance.[31]

Disability issues were coordinated with the Ministry of Social Affairs in 2015, with staff working closely with the Steering Committee and LMAC.[32] Local and international humanitarian agencies helping persons with disabilities among refugees from Syria and Lebanese host communities are coordinating their efforts through the Disability and Older Age Working Group, formed in June 2013. The Working Group held 18 meetings in 2014.[33]

Survivor inclusion and participation

A survivor was reported to have been included in the Steering Committee as a representative of NGO service providers. Disabled Persons’ Organizations (DPOs) were also included in the Steering Committee.[34] In September 2014, a survivor provided an intervention as a representative of survivors at a meeting of the Steering Committee.[35] Victims displayed hand-made crafts and spoke at the International Support Group meeting in 2015, in addition to the screening of a short film of victim testimonies.[36]

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Victim assistance activities

Name of organization

Type of organization

Type of activity

Ministry of Health

Government

Medical attention and prosthetics

Ministry of Social Affairs

Government

Disability benefits; socio-economic inclusion and prosthetics

Landmines Resource Center (LMRC)

National NGO

Advocacy, training/capacity-building for survivors

Al-Jarha Association for the War Wounded and Disabled in Lebanon

National NGO

Medical, physiotherapy, prosthetics production, sports activities, loans, peer support, psychological support, vocational training

Islamic Risala Scouts Association

National NGO

Ambulances and transportation, vocational training

Islamic Health Commission (IHC)

National NGO

Psychosocial support, mobility devices, loans

Lebanese Association for Health and Social Care

National NGO

Basic medical care, vocational training, etc.

Lebanese Welfare Association for the Handicapped (LWAH)

National NGO

All types of rehabilitation activities for persons with disabilities

National Rehabilitation and Development Center (NRDC)

National NGO

Rehabilitation, psychological care, prosthetic limbs

Vision Association for Development, Rehabilitation and Care

National NGO

Prosthetic limbs workshop, loans, vocational training, psychological care, advocacy

Jezzine Landmine Survivor Development Cooperative

Cooperative

Survivor managed cooperative producing and selling eggs, chickens, and honey

Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI)

International NGO

Medical assistance, computer training, and prosthetics

Norwegian Peoples Aid (NPA)

International NGO

Advocacy, capacity-building, support and funding of physical rehabilitation through local partners

Lebanese Red Cross

National society

Emergency medical attention; training in first aid and upgrading of emergency medical service stations with equipment and supplies

ICRC

International organization

Support to medical care and health services

 

Lebanese healthcare services and facilities were placed under additional pressure in 2015 as a result of internal violence and the arrival of war-wounded Syrians seeking medical assistance. In response to this situation, the ICRC provided medical supplies and medicines for 23 medical facilities and paid for the treatment of 219 patients.[37] The ICRC maintained its support for its main operational partner, the Lebanese Red Cross, to carry out medical evacuations of Syrian war casualties crossing into Lebanon in 2015.

In response to the strain on the Lebanese medical system, the ICRC established a weapon traumatology center in two Tripoli hospitals for all patients. The center, split between Dar al-Chifae hospital and Dar al-Zahra hospital, was opened to all patients in October. In 2015, the center performed more than 400 operations on 176 patients. In total, around 570 people received follow-up treatment including physiotherapy and psychological support.[38] The ICRC held seminars on weapon-wound surgery, first aid, and emergency room trauma care (for further information on ICRC services to Syrians in Lebanon, see the Syria country profile.) It also helped the Lebanese Red Cross blood bank keep pace with increased demand caused by the influx of Syrian war casualties.[39]

Rehabilitation including prosthetics, economic inclusion, and psychosocial assistance

Approximately 100 relatively active but poorly funded private organizations provided most of the assistance received by persons with disabilities.[40] Physical rehabilitation was largely dependent on funding from external donors and national charities.[41] In 2015, the EU, the Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI), and ITF Enhancing Human Security (ITF) were among the major donors for victim assistance in Lebanon.[42] National organizations supported 37 survivors in accessing physiotherapy sessions in 2015.[43]

LMAC reported that 65 survivors received new prostheses, including four women, and another 54 survivors (including six women) had their prostheses repaired or maintained through funding from the EU, MLI, and ITF in 2015. In addition, local organizations were reported to have provided 59 survivors with prosthetic devices and 30 survivors with mobility aids and assistive devices while reaching 54 survivors to repair or maintain prostheses.[44] Lebanese Welfare Association for the Handicapped (LWAH) reported fitting almost 300 prostheses and assistive devices and providing physiotherapy services to over 500 persons with disabilities in 2015.[45]

In 2015, the ICRC supported physical rehabilitation services for 500 people, including 170 who were fitted with prosthetic/orthotic devices, via the ICRC-run unit at Dar al-Zahra hospital or referrals to Lebanese service providers. At least two prostheses were provided to mine/ERW survivors.[46]

LMAC, in coordination with the Steering Committee, implemented an economic inclusion project that targeted 175 mine/ERW survivors. The survivors took training on proposal writing for income-generating projects, namely poultry production, beekeeping, and tree planting. After the training, 39 survivors won grants to start businesses. Local organizations provided business loans, vocational training support, or income-generating grants to 55 survivors.[47] In 2015, the Landmine Resource Center at the University of Balamand reported an increase in family members of those killed or injured in income-generation training workshops.[48]

Psychological support was the least developed area of assistance in Lebanon. In 2015, national organizations provided psycho-social therapy to 28 survivors and social support to 253 survivors. In 2015, it was reported that persons with psychosocial impairments had been recently granted the use of disability identification cards.[49]

National laws and policies

Law 220/2000 on the “Access and Rights of People with Disability” addresses the rights of persons with disabilities to have access to adequate education, rehabilitation services, employment, medical services, sports, as well as access to public transport and other facilities. However, Lebanon also reported that the law had yet to be comprehensively put into practice, due in part to a lack of sufficient resource allocation within the national budget.[50] Lebanon reported that it is looking to integrate the implementation of Convention on Cluster Munitions victim assistance provisions into existing coordination mechanisms, such as the ones created for the CRPD and Law 220/2000.[51] However, little progress has occurred since parliament passed the law on disabilities in 2000.[52] Inadequate assistance for persons with disabilities resulted in severe consequences including challenges in gaining access to services,  isolation, and stigma. It was reported that Lebanon lacked a national disability policy and coordination between relevant ministries that wasted the opportunities for implementation of existing legislation as well as an absence of a budget for its implementation.[53]

Discrimination against persons with disabilities is prohibited by law, but continued to exist. The National Disability Law stipulates a 3% quota for hiring persons with disabilities for all employers. However, there was no evidence the law was enforced and there was little to no impact. The law required that buildings be made accessible to persons with disabilities, but the building code still required amendments.[54] The National Council of Persons with Disability has held consultations including persons with disabilities on social protection programs. The Council, however, does not have any executive responsibility despite its responsibility for disability social policy.[55]

In 2015, the Lebanese Coalition of Organizations of Disabled Persons reported that there were no disability pensions (for families or for persons with disabilities) or family support to care for persons with disabilities, nor did persons with disabilities receive mobility grants. There was a large gap between the demand for services for persons with disabilities and the existing services.[56]

In 2015, most public facilities, including schools and universities, were not yet accessible for persons with disabilities.[57]

There were a number of submissions to Lebanon’s 2015 Universal Period Review in the Human Rights Council that raised concerns about access to education for children with disabilities. Between 2010 and 2014, the Ministry of Education developed a strategic plan for educational integration but the plan has not yet been submitted to Cabinet for approval and implementation.[58]

Persons with disabilities in Lebanon continue to face barriers to exercising their civil and political rights particularly in regards to access to information.[59] Article 92 of Lebanon’s electoral law requires that the Ministry of the Interior eliminate barriers to voting for persons with disabilities; however, measures to do this have not be implemented.[60]

The Mine Victim Assistance Steering Committee coordinated consultation sessions between the municipalities and its members to raise awareness of the rights of victims.[61] In 2015, draft updated national standards and pricing of prosthetics were developed and discussed.[62] Three workshops were held for the Steering Committee on the topic of national mine action standards on victim assistance.[63]

 



[1] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2015), Form H; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Brig. Gen. Elie Nassif, Director, LMAC, 7 July 2016.

[2] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brig. Gen. Elie Nassif, LMAC, 7 July 2016.

[3] Email from Brig. Gen. Elie Nassif, LMAC, 22 July 2015; “4 children hurt in explosion of cluster bomb in Zibqin,” Naharnet, 27 March 2015; and “Six children wounded when old bomb explodes in Lebanon,” Reuters,27 March 2015.

[4] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brig. Gen. Elie Nassif, LMAC, 7 July 2016.

[5] Statement of Lebanon, Convention on Cluster Munitions First Review Conference, Dubrovnik, 22 September 2015. Syrian mine/ERW casualties continued to occur in Lebanon in 2016. “Syrian injured in south Lebanon by Israeli cluster bomb,” The Daily Star,19 June 2016.

[6] Emails from Brig. Gen. Elie Nassif, LMAC 3 November 2014 and 9 July 2013; and Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2012), Form H, Annex 1.

[7] Email from Col. Rolly Fares, Head of Information Management and Victim Assistance Sections, LMAC, 30 March 2012.

[8] Between August and December of 2006, 209 casualties were recorded. Presentation by Lebanon, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, Side Event, Geneva, 28 June 2011.

[9] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brig. Gen. Elie Nassif, LMAC, 7 July 2016.

[10] Statement of Lebanon, Convention on Cluster Munitions Fourth Meeting of States Parties, Lusaka, 10 September 2013.

[11] Prior to July 2006, 338 casualties occurred, and 369 casualties occurred between August 2006 and December 2011. It was not clear if the casualties during use were included in this total. Handicap International (HI), Circle of Impact: The Fatal Footprint of Cluster Munitions on People and Communities (Brussels: HI, May 2007), p. 121; Patrick Galey, “Living without a leg,” BikyaMasr (Nabatieh), 14 November 2009; and email from Col. Fares, LMAC, 30 March 2012.

[12] Emails from Col. Fares, LMAC, 30 March 2012; from Brig. Gen. Odeimi, LMAC, 9 July 2013; and from Brig. Gen. Elie Nassif, Director, LMAC, 13 May 2015; Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2015), Form H; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Habbouba Aoun, Landmine Resource Center at the University of Balamand, 22 June 2016.

[13] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2013), Form H; and email from Brig. Gen. Nassif, LMAC, 13 May 2015. Included among the 2,775 survivors were 290 women; 845 of the total were amputees, including 72 women.

[14] NPA, “Norwegian People’s Aid Mines and Arms Department Portfolio,” undated but 2012, p. 25.

[15] Statement of Lebanon, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, Geneva, 16 April 2012.

[16] Email from Brig. Gen. Odeimi, LMAC, 9 July 2013.

[17] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2013), Form H.

[18] Statement of Lebanon, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, Geneva, 16 April 2013.

[19] Emails from Brig. Gen. Nassif, LMAC, 13 May and 9 June 2015.

[20] Statement of Lebanon, Convention on Cluster Munitions Fourth Meeting of States Parties, Lusaka, 10 September 2013.

[21] Email from Brig. Gen. Nassif, LMAC, 13 May 2015.

[22] LMAC, “National Victim Needs Assessment Survey,” 1 June 2013; and email from Brig. Gen. Nassif, LMAC, 22 July 2015.

[23] Email from Brig. Gen. Nassif, LMAC, 13 May 2015.

[24] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2015), Form H; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Brig. Gen. Nassif, LMAC, 7 July 2016.

[25] ICRC, “Annual Report 2014,” 12 May 2015, pp. 498–503.

[26] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for the period 27 October 2011 to 9 April 2012), Form H.

[27] Email from Brig. Gen. Nassif, LMAC, 13 May 2015.

[28] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Habbouba Aoun, Landmine Resource Center at the University of Balamand, 22 June 2016.

[29] LMAC, “Lebanon Mine Action Strategy,” September 2011.

[30] Statement of Lebanon, Convention on Cluster Munitions First Review Conference, Dubrovnik, 9 September 2015 [No statement available online].

[31] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Habbouba Aoun, Landmine Resource Center at the University of Balamand, 22 June 2016.

[32] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brig. Gen. Nassif, LMAC, 7 July 2016.

[33] World Rehabilitation Fund, “Lebanon -Response to Syrian Refugee Crisis,” undated.

[34] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Habbouba Aoun, Landmine Resource Center at the University of Balamand, 22 June 2016.

[35] Email from Brig. Gen. Nassif, 13 May 2015.

[36] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2015), Form H.

[37] ICRC, “Annual Report 2015,” Geneva, 2016, pp. 510 & 513.

[38] Ibid., p. 510.

[39] ICRC, “Annual Report 2014,” 12 May 2015, pp. 498–503.

[40] United States (US) Department of State, “2014 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Lebanon,” Washington, DC, 25 June 2015.

[41] Response to Monitor questionnaire from Col. Fares, LMAC, 30 March 2012.

[42] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brig. Gen. Nassif, LMAC, 7 July 2016.

[43] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2015), Form H; and response to Monitor questionnaire by Brig. Gen. Nassif, LMAC, 7 July 2016.

[44] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2015), Form H.

[45] LWAH, “Prosthetics and Orthotics,” undated.

[46] ICRC, “Annual Report 2015,” Geneva, 2016, pp. 510 & 513.

[47] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2015), Form H.

[48] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Habbouba Aoun, Landmine Resource Center at the University of Balamand, 22 June 2016.

[50] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2015), Form H; and US Department of State, “2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Lebanon,” Washington, DC, 13 April 2016.

[51] Statement of Lebanon, Convention on Cluster Munitions Fourth Meeting of States Parties, Lusaka, 10 September 2013.

[52] US Department of State, “2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Lebanon,” Washington, DC, 13 April 2016.

[54] US Department of State, “2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Lebanon,” Washington, DC, 13 April 2016.

[56] Ibid.

[59] Article 19, Lebanon: Disability and Access to Information (London, UK; May 2015).

[61] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2015), Form H.

[62] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Habbouba Aoun, Landmine Resource Center at the University of Balamand, 22 June 2016.

[63] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Brig. Gen. Nassif, LMAC, 7 July 2016.