The Republic of Sierra Leone is responsible for landmine survivors, cluster munition victims, and survivors of other explosive remnants of war (ERW). Sierra Leone has made commitments to provide victim assistance through the Mine Ban Treaty and Convention on Conventional Weapons Protocol V, and has victim assistance obligations under the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Sierra Leone ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 4 October 2010.

Casualties

The total number of mine/ERW casualties and survivors in Sierra Leone is not known. The Monitor has not recorded any new mine/ERW incidents in Sierra Leone since the end of the civil war in 2002.[1]

Cluster munition casualties

Twenty-eight casualties were reported during cluster munition strikes in 1997.[2] No casualties from unexploded submunitions have been identified.

Victim Assistance

Sierra Leone has ongoing services for persons with disabilities, including survivors and victims of war.[3] There are three rehabilitation centers in the country. Some war victims, including amputees, receive assistance from local and international NGOs. Such programs involve reconstructive surgery, prostheses, and vocational training. However, amputees complained that they did not receive sufficient assistance compared with former combatants.[4]

Psychosocial support services are also available to persons with disabilities and amputees, including mine/ERW survivors, in particular through sports clubs.[5]

The Persons with Disabilities Act (2011) of Sierra Leone prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in employment and provision of state services; it also calls for free healthcare and education; equal access to government buildings, housing, and public transportation; and provision of rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities.[6] One of the key provisions of the act was also the establishment of the National Commission for Persons with Disability (NCPD), with the mandate, among other things, “To prohibit discrimination against persons with disability, achieve equity in opportunities for persons with disability and to provide for other related matters.” The commission was constituted by presidential appointments, which were endorsed by parliament in July 2012.[7] National coordination on disabilities includes three strategic priorities: awareness raising, equal education, and equal employment opportunities.[8] This includes all war amputees, including mine/ERW victims.

In 2015, the NCPD reported that it had prepared a post-ebola budget to address issues affecting persons with disabilities because persons with disabilities were adversely affected by the outbreak. The budget will address the challenges facing those who survived the disease, their families, and those who lost relatives with disabilities.[9]