Victim assistance action points

• Improve the quality and sustainability of services for survivors and other persons with disabilities, including by upgrading community-based rehabilitation (CBR) centers.
• Set minimum standards of social welfare payments for persons with disabilities.
• Make greater efforts towards realizing the economic inclusion of mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) survivors and their families.
• Make adequate assistance available to all persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others.
• Identify sustainable resources for assistance.
• Speed up the establishment of a mine/ERW victims database in the Republic of Srpska.

Victim assistance planning and coordination

International commitments and obligations

Laws and policies

Since 2017, all eligible mine/ERW survivors in the Republic of Srpska should be able to receive financial support for the purchase of prosthetic devices every three years. They are also entitled to 15 days rehabilitation in a spa.[9] This financial support remains minimal, however, and does not allow for the purchase of adequate quality prosthetic devices.[10]

The Federation of BiH has a 2016–2021 strategy for the advancement of the rights and status of persons with disabilities. In April 2017, the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska adopted a 2017–2026 strategy for improving the social conditions of persons with disabilities.[11]

BiH ratified the CRPD in 2010, but NGOs have complained about the lack of effective implementation of laws and programs to help persons with disabilities.[12] Government support for war veterans was prioritized.[13] Despite laws requiring increased accessibility to buildings for persons with disabilities, authorities rarely enforced the requirement.[14] Human rights NGOs continued to report that many new public buildings continued to be built without being made accessible for persons with disabilities.[15] Architectural barriers remain a major problem in exercising any rights of persons with disabilities.[16]

Major Developments in 2017–2018

The victim assistance coordination body was officially established on 23 May 2018.[17]

In 2017, the BiH Mine Action Center (BHMAC) reported an increase in international/donor resources for activities that improve the lives of mine/ERW victims.[18] Overall, medical care, social inclusion, economic inclusion, inclusive education, and accessibility of the survivors’ physical environment were reported to have improved compared to 2016.[19] For the same time period, civil society, however, reported that service providers and financial support remained at 2016 levels, and that complicated procedures hindered full access to guaranteed rights.[20] Similarly, civil society did not note any improvement to accessibility in the survivors’ physical environment.[21]

In 2017, 90 mine/ERW survivors received assistance through four projects ranging from physical rehabilitation to social inclusion programs.[22] This is a 50% increase in the number of beneficiaries of victim assistance services compared to 2016.[23] All projects were carried out by organizations based in Republika Srpska.

Needs assessment

BHMAC reported that its casualty database was regularly updated with information on registered mine/ERW incidents, clearance accidents, and assistance projects, and was available to interested stakeholders.[24]

World Vision and the Organization of Amputees of Republic of Srpska (Organizacija amputiraca Republike Srpske, UDAS) surveyed the situation of 220 mine survivors in 2017 as part of their joint European Union (EU)-funded project entitled “Integrated socio-economic support to landmine victims in BiH.”[25]

Medical care and rehabilitation

In 2017, BiH had 60 community-based rehabilitation (CBR) centers for mental and physical rehabilitation.[26] In addition to these CBR centers, some additional local rehabilitation centers also provide services to mine/ERW survivors, such as making and fitting prostheses.[27]

ITF Enhancing Human Security ran a rehabilitation project for mine/ERW survivors from July to December 2017 and provided prosthetic devices to 21 mine/ERW survivors, while three patients received rehabilitation treatment in Slovenia.[28] UDAS assists mine/ERW survivors in applying for new prosthetics, including by providing legal support and advice and by referring survivors to relevant service providers, including prosthetic workshops and rehabilitation centers.[29]

The World Vision project, in partnership with UDAS, held a workshop in June together with the Institute for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation “Dr Miroslav Zotović” Banja Luka to familiarize the staff of the center for mental health and the center for physical rehabilitation in targeted municipalities with the basic elements of peer support and key challenges of rehabilitation of mine survivors. The project is being implemented in 11 municipalities of BiH: Doboj, Stanari, Zvornik, Čajniče, Konjic, Lukavac, Donji Vakuf, Travnik, Bihać, Velika Kladuša, and Bosanska Krupa.[30]

As of April 2018, there was one center providing psychological support in the BiH and one similar center in the Republic of Srpska.[31]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

The EU is funding a two-year socio-economic inclusion project for mine/ERW survivors in BiH. Through World Vision and UDAS, survivors receive support in setting up income-generating activities.[32] In 2017, such support was provided to 50 survivors.[33] The EU project also includes training of staff of mental health centers and CBR centers.[34]

To improve the social and economic inclusion of mine/ERW survivors in BiH, ITF awarded scholarships to 19 survivors for the academic year 2017–2018.[35]

Cross-cutting

It was reported that relevant institutions did not recognize the special needs of the children and family members, including widows, of people killed, and/or the children of survivors and people killed by mines/ERW.[36]

Victim assistance providers and activities