Humanitarian Impact Evaluation - Battlefield Area Clearance South Lebanon (2007)

The aim of the report is to provide narrative and statistical data to demonstrate the humanitarian impact of Handicap International\u27s Battlefield Area Clearance efforts in South Lebanon during the first 12 months of operations (December 2006 to December 2007). Handicap International has been conducting BAC in South Lebanon, since starting its operations in December 2006. During the first year of clearance, HI cleared: Private homes and gardens; private agricultural land; public land used for grazing and natural resources; public resources, such as clinics, of cluster bomb units that presented a contamination from the 2006 conflict. The clearance had a wide social, psychological and economic benefit which Handicap International documented through post clearance data gathering and collection of personal stories from the first 12 months of HI\u27s BAC activities. The data summarized in this report covers the time period of clearance from December 2006 to December 2007 in the form of narrative, graphs and case studies of how people conducted their personal lives before and after clearance. This aims to present a human angle, giving a wide picture of the humanitarian impact of Battlefield Area Clearance conducted by Handicap International

The Reduction of Weapons-Related Violence: A Global Approach to Saving Lives

HI\u27s history is closely intertwined with the fight against armed violence, including the use of anti-personnel landmines, cluster munitions, and other explosive remnants of war, and the proliferation of light and small caliber weapons. The history of Humanity & Inclusion has been marked by our humanitarian commitment to reducing the impact of conventional weapons on civilian populations. HI was founded in 1982 to help Cambodian victims of landmines, and in 1992, we launched the first of many demining programs. Today, the organization continues to advocate for the landmine and cluster munitions ban treaties and runs victim assistance, demining, and risk prevention programs in some of the world’s most dangerous places, including Syria and Afghanistan

Towards Real Assistance to Landmine Victims: The Position of Handicap International

By banning antipersonnel landmines, States committed themselves to ending the production, use, stockpiling and proliferation of this weapon. They also committed themselves to providing assistance to those who have been victims or who still suffer from the effects of landmines. Despite the efforts first made and the declarations of intention, much remains to be done in order that the States can honour their obligations as far as assistance is concerned

Handicap International Impact Report 2011

In 2011, Handicap International responded to complex crises in Libya, Pakistan, Haiti, and other countries with speed, efficiency, and life-saving results. In developing countries our teams ensured that people who are otherwise excluded had access to the services, education, and employment opportunities. In 60 countries, 4,000 staff members put their expertise into action, helping Handicap International reach more than 1 million beneficiaries. It was a source of great pride to receive the 2011 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize in March. This coveted prize celebrates the achievements our staff and volunteers realize in the face of conflict, disaster, poverty, and famine to serve populations so often neglected by other actors. This work would not be possible without you. In 2011, more than 15,000 Americans made donations to support the vulnerable individuals who so desperately need our help and our voice

Bombs Under the Rubble: Study of Awareness of Explosive Remnants of War Among the Population of Gaza

This baseline assessment was undertaken by Handicap International in October 2014 in all five governorates of Gaza. The focus of the survey was to collect baseline data related to the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) contamination in communities impacted by the recent conflict. The survey consisted of two parts: quantitative data collection comprising 459 individual questionnaires and qualitative data collection of 4 focus groups. The questionnaire targeted men, women, and children over 10 years old, while the focus groups targeted adults with disabilities, children, and adolescents. Quotas based on the age and gender in the five governorates sought to represent a proportionate cross-section of the population in impacted communities

The Waiting List: Addressing the Immediate and Long-Term Needs of Victims of Explosive Weapons in Syria.

This report looks at the challenges linked to the use of explosive weapons in the Syrian context for the provision of adequate immediate assistance and to plan for mid- to long-term assistance to the victims of explosive violence, to ensure their full recovery and inclusion into society. It is based on data and testimonies collected from humanitarian agencies, actors and patients across all areas of control in Syria. The testimony of Farah, a Syrian girl injured during the bombing of her school, and of her mother, is shared throughout the report to illustrate the challenges faced by victims. The report highlights the pressing need for a robust political declaration calling on all parties to conflicts to end the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas. As urban warfare becomes increasingly common, an international political declaration with strong provisions for VA must continue to resist any normalisation of the use of EWIPA as an unavoidable aspect of armed conflict

Healing the Wounds

The Gaza Strip was exposed to a long term and acute military operation which lasted for 51 days during the summer of 2014. At least 1,473 Palestinian civilians were killed, including 501 children and 257 women. Many fatalities involved multiple family members, with at least 142 Palestinian families having three or more members killed in the same incident, for a total of 739 fatalities. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, over 11,100 Palestinians, including 3,374 children and 2,088 women, were injured. Persons with disabilities (PwDs) are one of the most vulnerable groups in time of crisis, mostly marginalized and neglected to access emergency services. Handicap International3= supported by DFID, CDC, and RRA has launched an emergency response action in partnership with 4 disability service providers to meet the urgent needs of the most vulnerable groups affected by the crisis across Gaza Strip. Partners are: Baitona Society for community development in North Gaza, Palestine Avenir for Childhood Foundation in Gaza City; The National Society for Rehabilitation in Middle Area and in Khan Younis; and Society for Physically Handicapped People in Rafah. This report will shed the light on the emergency response action services delivered to the different beneficiaries

Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices related to Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance

In Somalia, there is an identified need to undertake a mine risk education program. Although the quantitative number of landmines and UXO has been reliably established since the Landmine Impact Survey conducted in 2003, it is clear that communities living in particular areas of Somalia have a high perception of living in a mined area. An initial first step in designing an appropriate mine risk education program in Somaliland has been established by Handicap International and UNICEF collaboratively through a survey conducted in 2002, which undertook this Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in three regions of the North West Zone. The three regions of Awdal, Galbeed, and Togdheer were identified as areas where communities are at a relatively high risk of exposure to landmines and UXO, and the LIS confirmed it one year later. To evaluate the impact of the HI’s MRE project since 2003 on the population, an evaluation study was realized to gather information on current community practices in relation to landmines and UXO, as well as information on practices related to communication since the starting of HI project. This information was compared to the information gathered during the study of 2002. This study provides a basis for more enhanced understanding of the selected communities and will be used to guide and adapt the planning and the design of a locally appropriate HI mine risk education program for the future. We hope the findings and recommendations of this study will be useful to all partners working on issues related to mine action and mine risk educatio

Victim Assistance in the Context of the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas

The international process underway to develop a political declaration on preventing civilian harm from the use of explosive weapons1 in populated areas is making good progress. Meanwhile, the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW) and other national and international organisations are working alongside leading governments to ensure the declaration will be comprehensive and will effectively meet the expectations of those suffering from the consequences of explosive weapons use around the world. Wishing to contribute to the political declaration drafting process, Handicap International, supported by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, launched an initiative with a view to developing a shared understanding of the needs and rights of victims of explosive weapons and proposing recommendations on the provisions on victim assistance to be included in this declaration. Survivors, experts and humanitarian aid workers from countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Jordan, South Sudan, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Palestine, as well as experts from several INEW member organisations, took part in this initiative. Together, they shared their experience of the reality faced by victims of explosive weapons in populated areas, expressed their aspirations for victim assistance provisions in the future political declaration and exchanged ideas by means of an online consultation and a workshop in Sarajevo. This paper draws on these consultations to make the following recommendations, intended to ensure that the needs and rights of victims of explosive weapons will be adequately addressed in the future political declaration

Death Sentence to Civilians: The Long-Term Impact of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas in Yemen

In Yemen, the massive use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas has not only had deadly consequences for civilians, but has also had a dramatic impact on the infrastructure and systems that civilians depend upon to access essential services. Yemen shows how the long-term or reverberating effects of explosive weapons use, referring to how the destruction of infrastructure has implications for the wider systems of services in a country, are just as deadly in a crisis as injuries from the explosion and even impact a greater number of people than those in the vicinity of the original attack. The damage inflicted on the infrastructure and services necessary for food, transport, health, and water threaten civilians and prolong suffering long after the bombing has ended. For this reason, States, UN agencies, international organisations, and civil society, including HI and other members of the International Network on Explosive Weapons, are working to end the harm caused by explosive weapons in populated areas by setting international norms against their use and are calling on all States to support the development of a strong political declaration against the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas