Survivor assistance action points

• 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.
• Secure sufficient and sustainable survivor assistance funding.

Survivor assistance planning and coordination

International commitments and obligations

Laws and policies

The Republic of Lebanon’s 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, public transport, and other facilities.[8] Lebanese citizens with a disability can register for a disability card.[9] However, little progress has been made since parliament passed the law on disabilities in 2000.[10]

Discrimination against persons with disabilities is prohibited by law, but discrimination continues. 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. The law required that buildings be made accessible to persons with disabilities, but the building code still required amendments.[11] Most public schools were not yet accessible.[12]

Major Developments

The number of refugees in Lebanon remained steady compared to 2017.[13] There were no significant changes in terms of victim assistance funding.[14] In 2018, survivor assistance funding came from the European Union (EU), the Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI), and DanChurchAid (DCA). In 2019, only DCA’s vocational training project was ongoing.[15]

Needs assessment

No national needs assessment survey was conducted in 2018 due to a lack of funds.[16] In 2018, LMAC continued to update the mine victims’ database.[17]

Medical care and rehabilitation

The health system is weak due to limited government budget.[18] Emergency care and medical treatment was provided to mine/ERW survivors free of charge.[19] In 2018, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) supported 19 hospitals through training and material support.[20] The ICRC also conducted first-aid courses and provided the Lebanese Red Cross’s emergency medical services with technical and material support.[21]

The government focal point for victim assistance reported that national standards for prosthetic devices had been established.[22]

In 2018, 85 mine/ERW survivors received rehabilitation services through EU and MLI funding.[23] The ICRC delivered four prostheses to mine/ERW survivors, one of whom was a child.[24]

Government bodies such as the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Affairs were also involved in the provision of physical rehabilitation services to mine/ERW survivors, but these services were limited in 2018 due to limited governmental funding.[25] Other organizations at the national level, including the National Rehabilitation and Development Center (NRDC); Al-Jarha, Vision Association for Development, Rehabilitation, and Care–Al Ru’ya; Tamkeen; and the Lebanese Welfare Association for the Handicapped (LWAH) provided prosthetic services or assistive devices.[26]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

With funding from the Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) and the EU, the LMAC, and the member organizations of the National Steering Committee on Victim Assistance jointly conducted nine income-generation workshops to train 146 landmine survivors, 51 of whom received a grant to start an income-generating activity.[27] Al-Jarha Association provided financial support to survivors to cover school fees and social reintegration initiatives. Al-Jarha also conducted vocational trainings and provided loans for survivors to set up their businesses.[28] The NRDC facilitated inclusive education for children with disabilities.[29]

In 2018, DCA covered the tuition fees for 20 mine/ERW survivors,[30] and the ICRC fostered the social inclusion of persons with disabilities by sponsoring two wheelchair basketball tournaments.[31]

In 2018, 20 mine/ERW survivors received psychosocial support services funded by the EU.[32]

Cross-cutting

LMAC, through the Steering Committee members, the Ministry of Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Health, provided social and medical assistance to the widows and children of people killed by mines/ERW.[33]

The victim assistance program of the government of Lebanon does not include support to Syrian refugees. Syrian refugees, including mine/ERW survivors, received support from the ICRC; the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM); and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for medical care, prosthetics, and other assistive devices.[34] A 2018 report found that among Syrian refugees in Lebanon, “65.4% of those who use mobility aids still experience significant difficulties…walking.”[35] The report also found that households with disabilities had difficulties accessing medical services, in particular, because of the cost of those services.

Survivor assistance providers and activities