Victim 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.
• Introduce standards for prosthetic devices.

Victim assistance planning and coordination

International commitments and obligations

Laws and policies

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 continued. 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 in 2017–2018

The number of refugees in Lebanon remained steady compared to 2016.[13] There were no significant changes in terms of victim assistance funding.[14]

The government focal point for victim assistance reported that national standards for prosthetic devices had been established.[15]

Needs assessment

No national needs assessment survey was conducted in 2017 due to a lack of funds.[16] In 2017, LMAC continued to update the mine victims’ database.[17]

Medical care and rehabilitation

Emergency care and medical treatment continued to be provided to mine/ERW survivors free of charge.[18]

In 2017, the European Union (EU), the Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI), ITF Enhancing Human Security (ITF), and Dan Church Aid (DCA) were among the major donors for victim assistance in Lebanon, providing services to about 100 mine/ERW survivors.[19] Services included the provision of prostheses, an income-generating program, and psychosocial support.[20]

In early 2017, 45 mine/ERW survivors received rehabilitation services through MLI funding. In December 2017, LMAC approved a list of another 45 mine/ERW survivors to receive rehabilitation services, including prostheses and assistive devices, through EU funding.[21]

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 2017.[22] Other organizations at the national level, including 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.[23]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

With funding from the Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) and the EU, LMAC, the Landmine Resource Center, and the National Rehabilitation and Development Center (NRDC) jointly conducted an income-generation workshop to train 46 landmine survivors, 18 of whom received a grant to start an income-generating activity.

Al-Jarha Association provided financial support to about 90 survivors to cover school fees, and to over 280 survivors to cover social reintegration initiatives. Al-Jarha also conducted vocational trainings and provided loans for survivors to set up their businesses.[24] The NRDC facilitated inclusive education for approximately 80 disabled children in 2017.[25]

Cross-cutting

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

The victim assistance program of the government of Lebanon does not include support to Syrian refugees. Syrian refugees, including mine/ERW survivors, receive 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.[26]

Humanity & Inclusion (formerly Handicap International, HI) and Information Management and Mine Action Programs(IMMAP) were conducting an assessment of the level of access of refugees with disabilities to services.[27]

Victim assistance providers and activities