The Republic of Mali is responsible for survivors of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) and has made commitments to provide victim assistance through the Mine Ban Treaty.

Mali ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 7 April 2008.

Assessing needs

In 2016, Humanity and Inclusion (HI, formerly Handicap International) established a mechanism to collect and share information on mine/ERW survivors. Community-based focal points are identified and trained on the identification and registration process of victims, and local commissions are set up to approve and follow-up on mine/ERW survivors’ action plans.[1] HI also assessed the needs of persons with disabilities, including mine/ERW survivors in areas where it operates, resulting in the provision of assistance to 70 mine/ERW survivors and other persons with disabilities in 2016 and into 2017. During the assessment, HI referred 19 mine/ERW victims to the ICRC and Médecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) for medical and physical rehabilitation support.[2]

Coordination

There was no national coordination of victim assistance in Mali. Victim assistance was included on the agenda of the monthly mine action coordination meetings in 2016, under the auspices of UNMAS.[3] In 2017, UNMAS was planning to conduct an assessment of the situation of and support provided to the mine/ERW survivors registered on the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database.[4]

The Ministry of Social Development and Solidarity Economy is responsible for victim assistance, however it does not have a victim assistance policy.[5] The Ministry of Solidarity, Humanitarian Action, and the Reconstruction of the North is responsible for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities.[6] Other key actors related to victim assistance activities includes: the Ministry of Health, the Civil Protection Central Service, the National Orthopedic Center of Mali (Centre National d'Appareillage Orthopédique, CNAOM), the Regional Orthopedic and Functional Rehabilitation Centers (Centres Régionaux d'Appareillage Orthopédique et de Rééducation Fonctionnelle, CRAORFs), and disabled people’s organizations (DPOs).[7] Persons with disabilities have access to basic healthcare, however protecting the rights of persons with disabilities was not a priority and few resources were available.[8]

In 2017, Mali did not submit its Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report for calendar year 2016, nor its Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report for calendar year 2016.

HI, with the support of UNMAS, has been implementing a project since 2014 to assist survivors of incidents caused by explosive weapons, as well as other persons with disabilities, in the regions of Gao and Timbuktu, which are heavily affected by explosive weapons, including mines/ERW.[9] Although HI extended its activities to the Kidal region in 2016 and into 2017, the number of beneficiaries decreased over the same time period.[10]

Medical care

As of 2016, access to medical care in the north remained very limited, due to a lack of medical staff and supplies as well as the security situation.[11] The ICRC provided free medical care to mine/ERW survivors in areas where it operated.[12] The ICRC opened its delegation in Mali in 2013 in response to conflict and other situations of violence.[13] The Gao regional hospital and the Kidal referral center were providing good quality medical care, including to weapon-wounded people, with the support of two ICRC surgical teams.[14]

Following three security incidents in 2016, the ICRC temporarily restricted staff travel outside of towns in the north, which delayed the implementation of some of its activities, as was also the case in 2015.[15]

Rehabilitation, including prosthetics

The volatile security situation in Mali, often prevented persons with disabilities from accessing rehabilitation services.[16] In areas where most survivors live, medical and physical rehabilitation services were barely functional.[17] There are only eight rehabilitation centers in Mali, including two in Bamako, with just 15 prosthetic and orthotic specialists for a total population of 17 million.[18] Four of the eight rehabilitation centers received ICRC’s support in 2016.[19] The state provides support to military mine/ERW survivors, but does not provide support to civilian survivors, who can only rely on the support provided by international and national NGOs.[20] The ICRC identified the major obstacles in the physical rehabilitation sector to be: a lack of qualified personnel, insufficient government funding, and inability of the government to support rehabilitation centers.[21]

In 2016, there was an increase in the number of people who received rehabilitation services at ICRC-supported rehabilitation centers, compared to 2015. In particular, the number of amputees receiving services increased by 12%, and there was also a slight increase in the number of assistive devices delivered by ICRC-supported centers.[22] The ICRC continued to subsidize physical rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities.[23] To improve accessibility to rehabilitation services, the ICRC and the Ministry of Solidarity plan to build a rehabilitation center by January 2020 in Mopti, northern Mali.[24]

Advocacy activities by the ICRC for greater government involvement in the physical rehabilitation sector in Mali resulted in the development and formal approval in 2016 of a national strategy for developing the physical rehabilitation sector.[25]

In 2016 and 2017, HI was no longer providing physical rehabilitation services in Mali.[26]

Social and economic inclusion

HI implemented several inclusive education projects, in Sikasso, Timbuktu, and Gao. In 2017, the government added inclusive education to the national training curriculum of school teachers.[27]

In 2016 and through 2017, HI supported 70 beneficiaries through income-generating activities. Beneficiaries were selected according to their level of vulnerability, with special consideration of the needs of women and children. This was, however, a sharp decrease from 160 beneficiaries in 2015, due to reduced funding. Thirty-one beneficiaries received psychosocial support. With children, HI focused on play activities rather than counselling sessions, in order to respond to their specific needs.[28]

In 2016, the ICRC provided support to the Disability Sports Association.[29]

Laws and policies

There was no specific legislation protecting the rights of persons with disabilities or mandating physical accessibility to public buildings.[30] In June 2016, an advocate for the rights of women with disabilities in Mali reported that Malian women with disabilities often face multiple forms of discrimination due to their gender and being persons with disabilities. Poverty, illiteracy, high unemployment, a high probability of gender-based violence, psychological issues, and stigma were highlighted as serious problems. According to the reporting, Mali needed effective national laws and implement legislation and programs in order to address the rights of all persons with disabilities, and specifically for women and girls.[31]