Guinea-Bissau

Victim Assistance

Last updated: 01 October 2019

Survivor assistance action points

Dedicate increased national and international funding to address the needs and promote the rights of mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) survivors and other persons with disabilities.
Ensure that broader programs, such as international cooperation for post-conflict reconstruction and poverty reduction, reach the most vulnerable members of society, including survivors and other persons with disabilities.
Train mine/ERW survivors and other persons with disabilities to advocate for equal opportunities and increased access to assistance.

Survivor assistance planning and coordination

Government focal point	Ministry of Freedom Fighters of the Fatherland (Ministério dos Combatentes da Liberdade da Pátria)[1]
Coordination regularity/frequency and outcomes/effectiveness	None[2]
Plans/strategies	The National Victim Assistance Strategy is expired[3]
Disability sector integration	Not reported
Survivor inclusion and participation	Not reported
Reporting (Article 7 and statements)	As of May 2019, Guinea-Bissau had not reported on victim assistance activities

International commitments and obligations

Guinea-Bissau is responsible for significant numbers of mine/ERW survivors.
Mine Ban Treaty	Yes
Convention on Cluster Munitions	Yes
Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) Protocol V	Yes
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)	Yes

Laws and policies

There is no law in the Republic of Guinea-Biaasu specifically prohibiting discrimination against persons with disabilities.[4] No efforts were made to counter discrimination against persons with disabilities and ensure access to buildings.[5] No improvement was reported in the accessibility of the survivors’ physical environment in 2018.[6]

Former military personnel with disabilities received pensions from the Ministry of Defense and Ex-Combatants, but these programs did not adequately address health, housing, or food needs.[7]

Major Developments

No major changes were reported.

Medical care and rehabilitation

Six hospitals have the capacity to provide medical care to mine/ERW survivors, but only the Bissau hospital can treat very serious injuries.[8] Large parts of the population do not have access to health services.[9]

Through 2018, the Center for Physical Rehabilitation (Centro de Reabilitação Motora, CRM) remained the only physical rehabilitation center for the country.[10] The Bissau hospital does not refer amputated patients to the CRM,[11] therefore the ICRC has created communication material to inform patients and undertakes regular field visits to remote areas to inform local authorities about services provided by the CRM.[12] Eighty percent of the mine/ERW survivors treated at the CRM come from Senegal.[13] In 2018, the CRM reported a 40% increase in patients compared to 2017, and produced 141 prosthetic devices for mine/ERW survivors and other persons with disabilities. The center also provided wheelchairs and crutches.[14] Some limited rehabilitation services were also provided in healthcare centers, although staff were not qualified.[15] The ICRC covers 60% of the running costs of the CRM.[16]

Since 2015, mine/ERW survivors from Senegal have been receiving prosthetic devices at the CRM through an agreement between the ICRC and Solidarity Initiative for Development Actions (Initiative Solidaire des Actions de Développement, ISAD).[17] In 2018, 34 mine survivors from Senegal were fitted with new prosthetic devices or received reparations at the CRM.[18]

The ICRC reimbursed the costs of orthopedic devices, including for mine/ERW survivors, provided equipment and materials, and supported technical and management training programs to improve the quality of the service.[19]

There are no psychological support services for mine/ERW survivors.[20]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

In 2018, Humanity & Inclusion (formerly Handicap International, HI) promoted the socio-economic inclusion of persons with disabilities through training courses. The project ended in 2018.[21] The ICRC funded education for children with disabilities and installed ramps in front of schools.[22]

In 2016, the Federation for the Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in partnership with HI started a three-year project supported by the European Union to strengthen the rights of persons with disabilities. The project ended in December 2018.[23] In 2018, HI was working with 13 disabled peoples’ organizations to build their capacities for assistance and advocacy.[24]

Guinea-Bissau has a federation for inclusive sports supported by the ICRC. The ICRC donated wheelchairs and material and supported activities of the federation, including the design of a sports complex for persons with disabilities.[25]

Cross-cutting

To facilitate accessibility of the CRM for patients living in remote areas, the ICRC covered transportation costs for the most destitute persons. However the majority of patients treated at the CRM came from the capital city Bissau.[26]

Survivor assistance providers and activities

Name of organization	Type of activity
Government
Center for Physical Rehabilitation (Centro de Reabilitação Motora, CRM)	Physical rehabilitation, prosthetics, and mobility devices[27]
International
Humanity & Inclusion (formerly Handicap International, HI)	Micro-credits for persons with disabilities;[28] Inclusive education;[29] advocacy for the rights of persons with disabilities[30]
ICRC	Prosthetic and mobility devices;[31] referral;[32] inclusive sports;[33] technical and management training;[34] inclusive education[35]

[1] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Hervé Wandfluh, Physical Rehabilitation Project Manager, ICRC, 7 March 2019; and email from Joao Kennedy de Pina Araujo, Director, Center for Physical Rehabilitation (Centro de Reabilitação Motora, CRM), 15 May 2018.

[2] Interview with Filomeno Graça, Mine Risk Education and Victim Assistance Program Coordinator, Centro Nacional de Coordenação da Acção Anti-Minas (CAAMI), 29 April 2019.

[3] Interview with Filomeno Graça, CAAMI, 29 April 2019.

[4] United States (US) State Department, “2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Guinea-Bissau,” Washington, DC, 13 March 2019.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Hervé Wandfluh, Physical Rehabilitation Project Manager, ICRC, 7 March 2019.

[7] US State Department, “2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Guinea-Bissau,” Washington, DC, 13 March 2019.

[8] The six hospitals are located in Bissau, Bafata, Buba, Canchungo, Catio, and Gabu. Interview with Irene Laval, General Secretary, Ministry of Defense of Guinea-Bissau, Bissau, 29 April 2019.

[9] Email from Joao Kennedy de Pina Araujo, CRM, 15 May 2018.

[10] Interview with Irene Laval, General Secretary, Ministry of Defense of Guinea-Bissau, in Bissau, 29 April 2019; and ICRC, “Annual Report 2018,” Geneva, May 2019, p. 168.

[11] Interview with Hervé Wandfluh, Physical Rehabilitation Project Manager, ICRC, in Bissau, 30 April 2019.

[12] Ibid.

[13] Ibid.

[14] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Hervé Wandfluh, ICRC, 7 March 2019.

[15] Ibid.

[16] Interview with Hervé Wandfluh, ICRC, in Bissau, 30 April 2019.

[17] Ibid.; ICRC, “Annual Report 2016,” Geneva, May 2017, p. 224; and ICRC, “Faits & Chiffres 2016: CICR Bissau” (“Facts & Figures 2016: ICRC Bissau”), February 2017.

[18] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Hervé Wandfluh, ICRC, 7 March 2019.

[19] Ibid.

[20] Interview with Irene Laval, Ministry of Defense of Guinea-Bissau, in Bissau, 29 April 2019.

[21] Interview with Emmanuel Pinto Lopez, HI, in Bissau, 29 April 2019.

[22] Interview with Hervé Wandfluh, ICRC, in Bissau, 30 April 2019.

[23] Interview with Emmanuel Pinto Lopez, HI, in Bissau, 29 April 2019; and European External Action Service, “A União Europeia anuncia o lançamento do projecto de fortalecimento dos direitos das pessoas com deficiencia na Guiné-Bissau” (“The European Union announces the launch of the project to strengthen the rights of persons with disabilities in Guinea-Bissau”), 5 May 2016.

[24] Interview with Emmanuel Pinto Lopez, HI, in Bissau, 29 April 2019.

[25] Interview with Hervé Wandfluh, ICRC, in Bissau, 30 April 2019.

[26] Interview with Emmanuel Pinto Lopez, HI, in Bissau, 29 April 2019.

[27] Interview with Hervé Wandfluh, ICRC, in Bissau, 30 April 2019.

[28] Interview with Emmanuel Pinto Lopez, HI, in Bissau, 29 April 2019.

[29] Ibid.

[30] Ibid.

[31] Interview with Hervé Wandfluh, ICRC, in Bissau, 30 April 2019.

[32] Ibid.

[33] Ibid.

[34] Ibid.

[35] Ibid.