Victim assistance action points

• Disseminate, budget for, and implement the Plan of Action for Victim Assistance (PAAV) among all government departments and ministries, as well as among provincial and local governments.
• Prioritize rehabilitation and economic inclusion assistance for the most vulnerable among the survivor population, based on physical, psychological, and socioeconomic needs.
• Rebuild prosthetic and orthopedic capacity in the country.
• Respond to the specific needs of women victims, the largest demographic group of victims as the members of affected families and communities.

Victim assistance planning and coordination[1]

International commitments and obligations

Laws and policies

The Republic of Mozambique is in the process of drafting a national law for the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities. Disabled peoples’ organizations (DPOs) participated in the development of the law, which has been submitted for review by the national legislative assembly.[2]

Major Developments in 2017–2018

The Department for Persons with Disabilities reported insufficient human and financial resources to support the needs of persons with disabilities in Mozambique and noted that the country needs international support for medical care, rehabilitation, and other specialized services. The department also reported that coordination mechanisms were weak and information sharing between actors and implementers is insufficient to facilitate referrals.[3]

Peace talks between the government of Mozambique and the Mozambique National Resistance Movement (Resistência Nacional Moçambicana, RENAMO) that began in 2016 resulted in a ceasefire in 2017, allowing displaced persons from central Mozambique, who had been highly impacted by landmines, to return to their homes.[4]

Netherlands Leprosy Relief (NLR) Mozambique identified two provinces, Nampula and Niassa (both have been mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) affected, the latter being one of the seven provinces where cluster munitions had been used) for disabled-inclusive communities pilot projects. Two DPOs, Mozambican Association for the Disabled (Associação dos Deficientes Moçambicanos Associações (ADEMO) and Fórum das Associações dos Deficientes de Moçambique (FAMOD), were engaged as partners to pilot the disability-inclusive communities. NLR staff from Mozambique and ADEMO staff were trained in Indonesia on the use of participatory tools for disability inclusiveness. The Ministry of Gender, Child, and Social Affairs committed to working with NLR on its implementation of the projects.[5]

Needs assessment

No needs assessments were conducted in 2017.[6] A 2013 “Needs and Capacities Assessment Report,” drafted by the National Director of Social Action within the Ministry of Woman and Social Action, remains unpublished.[7]

FAMOD, an umbrella group that brings together several DPOs, publicly declared that the 2017 General Population and Housing Census discriminated against persons with disabilities by excluding them entirely from the census. The census questionnaire did not contain any specific questions about disability, with the excuse that not all persons with disabilities could have the process made accessible.[8]

Medical care and rehabilitation

Four primary-care facilities in central Mozambique were renovated after the ceasefire declared by RENAMO. RAVIM continues to refer survivors and other persons with disabilities to the orthopedic center in Maputo, but reports that survivors have difficulty accessing services as the center lacks the resources to provide for walk-in patients without appointments. RAVIM also reports a general lack of medication, especially anti-retroviral medications for persons living with HIV/AIDS.[9] Surgical services are also unavailable for post-injury care.[10]

Physical rehabilitation and orthopedic services are limited especially outside of Maputo. Access to publicly-funded wheelchairs and assistive devices is limited by bureaucratic barriers.[11]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

No programs were reported for economic reintegration or psycho-social support. Persons with psycho-social impairments are routinely abandoned by their families at the only psychiatric hospital.[12]

Cross-cutting

UNICEF and Humanity and Inclusion (HI, formerly Handicap International) continue their partnership to address the needs of children with disabilities. The “Fair-n-Square” initiative supports Information, Orientation and Social Support Service (SIOAS) mobile teams, which identify children with disabilities and provide services, including assistive devices and physical modifications to structures to enable school attendance. SIOAS outreach teams operate in Maputo, Beira, and Matola cities.[13]

Victim assistance providers and activities[14]