Victim assistance commitments

The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is responsible for a significant number of landmine survivors and survivors of other explosive remnants of war (ERW). Sri Lanka has made commitments to provide victim assistance through the Mine Ban Treaty and has ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Sri Lanka ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 8 February 2016.

Victim Assistance

The total number of survivors in Sri Lanka, both civilian and military, was estimated to be in the thousands.[1] The National Mine Action Center (NMAC) reported 1,474 registered civilian mine survivors injured in Sri Lanka between 1985 and the end of 2011.[2]

Victim assistance since 2015

The support provided to the physical rehabilitation sector in Sri Lanka significantly decreased with the phasing out of ICRC and Humanity and Inclusion (HI, formerly Handicap International), which resulted in a decrease in geographical coverage. A general reduction in funding for victim assistance activities resulted in a decrease in the availability of services for mine/ERW victims.[3] However, a mapping of the physical rehabilitation sector in Sri Lanka led by HI in collaboration with various stakeholders in 2013 showed that there remained gaps in geographical coverage, a lack of capacity among existing providers, a shortage of trained workers, and unclear referral mechanisms between health facilities and physical rehabilitation services. Other important challenges were the lack of awareness among persons with disabilities about the existence and importance of physical rehabilitation, as well as the lack of long-term follow-up at home and community level, which may result in people abandoning their rehabilitation or stopping their use of assistive devices.

Victim assistance in 2016

There was a decrease in the number of service providers; especially among international NGOs.

There was also a decrease in financial support as most of the donors withdrew direct support as the post-conflict recovery programs were completed. The national mine action strategy was revised in 2016 and included a section on victim assistance.[4] Survivors and their representative organizations were not involved in the provision of victim assistance services.[5]

Assessing victim assistance needs

There was no combined or comprehensive data on the number or the needs of mine/ERW survivors, victims of war, or other persons with disabilities. Ongoing needs assessments were conducted by mine risk education agencies in the field using specific questionnaires. These agencies also informed new victims of their rights and available services. District-level referral mechanisms were established.[6]

In June 2016, Sri Lanka was to update its injury surveillance system.[7] The NMAC was yet to start coordinating with state and non-state victim assistance partners to improve access to existing services for mine/ERW survivors and to address the gaps in service availability.[8] 

Details of mine/ERW incidents were recorded in the national Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database and casualty data collection was carried out by the NMAC. The data was used by the relevant government institutions, such as the Ministry of Resettlement, Department of Social Services and Social Welfare (MoSS), for their programs. NGOs also access the NMAC data for use in their programs.[9]

Victim assistance coordination[10]

No victim assistance planning and coordination meetings as such were reported in 2016. NMAC had a victim assistance officer in place but the appointee had not been trained. No victim assistance focal points in the relevant ministries had been identified as of October 2017.[11] UNICEF supported victim assistance service providers, though at a much lower scale than for risk education.[12] Due to budget constraints and a decrease in the number of new casualties in 2016, UNICEF reduced its efforts towards victim assistance. UNICEF noted that it became challenging to provide continued support to victims.[13]

Ministries dealing with victim assistance include the Ministry of Social Empowerment, Welfare and Kandyan Heritage (formerly, MoSS), the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Defense, which acts as the Directorate of Rehabilitation.[14]

The 2016 National Mine Action Strategy for Sri Lanka contains victim assistance objectives, several of which were intended to be measurable, but has no baseline information or data; these include the number of victims benefiting annually from medical and rehabilitation services, psychosocial support, access to socio-economic inclusion/per year, and the number of service providers by sector of assistance.[15]

A National Action Plan for Disability was approved in January 2014. It focuses on persons with disabilities in general, but also includes mine/ERW victims—in particular, support and increased accessibility to the rehabilitation sector, as well as community-based rehabilitation, are integral parts of the plan.[16]

Survivor inclusion

According to information available, involvement of the survivors and/or their representative organizations in planning and the provision of services was minimal.[17] Disabled persons’ organizations are included in the various coordination mechanisms.[18]

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Victim assistance activities

HI no longer provided rehabilitation services in 2016.[19] The HI physical rehabilitation centers in Batticaloa and Kilinochchi were handed over to the Ministry of Health to continue the delivery of services. UNICEF reported a reduction in the availability of physical rehabilitation and economic inclusion services in 2016, due to a decrease in funding.[20]

Despite the withdrawal of ICRC support, the JJCDR provided prostheses and mobility devices to 71 mine/ERW victims and conducted outreach visits 725 homes. The micro-credit program run by JJCDR however stopped in 2016.[21]

SOND provided emergency assistance to three mine/ERW victims. Thirteen mine victims were identified by SOND for livelihood support, which they received from the respective Grama Niladhari (village officer) Divisional Secretary Social Service Officer. The activities ranged from animal husbandry to TV repair and fishing. Each mine survivor beneficiary received initial financial assistance for livelihood activities.[22]

UNICEF activities in 2016 were mindful of age- and gender-specific needs.[23] UNICEF’s mine risk education program reached 250,000 community members.[24]

Laws and policies

Sri Lanka lacked adequate legislation to protect and respect the rights of persons with disabilities. The Draft Disability Rights Bill has been amended by the Department of Legal Draftsman, and the Ministry of Social Empowerment, Welfare and Kandyan Heritage is currently reviewing the proposed amendments.[25] Discrimination continued to occur in employment, education, and the provision of state services, including public transportation. Access to buildings and public transportation for persons with disabilities remained rare.[26]