National Workshop on Victim Assistance, held in Phnom Penh, from 05 to 06 September 2001.

Opening Speech addressed by H.E. Sam Sotha
Advisor to the Prime Minister and
Secretary General of the Cambodian Mine Action
And Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA)

Excellencies,
Distinguished Representatives of
National, International Organisations
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great honour to be here with Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, who are all from the key service providers. Indeed, I find this Workshop as a forum to discuss assistance to the victims caused by anti-personnel landmines and other related issues. It is also my first time in my capacity as Secretary General of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority and as a long-timer involved in mine action have had such opportunity to be able to participate in this kind of discussion. Please allow me to thank Mr. Ouk Sisovann, Executive Director of DAC and his staff for well organising this event.

Excellencies, ladies and Gentlemen:

After more than two decades of war in Cambodia have left over millions of anti-personnel landmines and unexploded ordnances which have killed and maimed thousand of children, women and men. Although mine awareness and clearance activities conducted by national institution, CMAC and several other non-governmental organisations, MAG, HALO Trust these hidden-weapons still continue to kill and maim Cambodians everyday. The statistics from the Cambodian Red Cross reveal that from 1979 to June 1999 an average of 200 Cambodians a month have been maimed. The injuries caused by landmine still continue and approximately 60 limbs have been amputated per month. It is also estimated approximately 45,000 helpless amputees are in the Kingdom of Cambodia, that on an average of one amputee among 266 Cambodian citizens, which is the highest number in the world just caused by dreadful weapon alone.
Addressing the subject of assisting the land mine/UXO survivors is necessary to paint a picture of Cambodia affected by the mine problem. When someone steps on a mine, we must quick think about emergency first aid needs, carry the victim to the nearest communal medical facility or to the district hospital, the availability of the transportation, etc. After months in the hospital and at home, the next step is to find a limb-fitting centre where they make the prosthesis leg and assist them with the rehabilitation. The question is are there enough of such services.
Furthermore, most of those victims and their families were from the remote contaminated mine areas, consequently faced with utmost desperate situation both socially and economically. The victims who are men, women, children and other innocents, they loss capability of supporting themselves, … they needs humanitarian support, physically and mentally. We have seen many victims are either beggars on the streets or living with the family member -wives, brothers, sisters or relatives- who are themselves living below the poverty line condition.

To response to these needs national and international organisations, many of whom are representing here today, now are actively working to assist those victims, at their communities or towns for years. You are in fact the primary implementers in the field, providing physical rehabilitation and other support such as vocational training, job placement, counselling or other type of income generation activities. I know that many of these programmes continue to function and provide ongoing support for individuals injured by land mines and persons with disabilities from other causes.

Shall we ask ourselves that whether the existing services enough to response to this uncalculated problem. Is there a comprehensive approach program well addressed to the needs of those amputees. Are those programs well co-ordinated. In addition, I think that we must also find way how to evaluate those existing programs or projects, their rate of success and their great of impact nationally.

Finally, as part of my intervention, I would like to bring up to the attention of this workshop two key words: firstly, re-integration, means that what program activities can be considered the best in order to provide a more sustainable assistance not only to the individual victim but also to the whole family as well. If this approach is considered, we will be able to bridge the victims and their family toward a self -supporting and integration in the greater society as a whole. Let me get the word of Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen Speech at the Conference The Opening of the new Horizon for disabled Person on the 4th of October 1999, I quote "…we rather to place 10 disabled person and who retain in their job than to train a thousand and leave without job". Secondly, shall we separate or not the disabled person caused by landmines from the disabled person in general.

Cambodia is one of the signatories. In May 1999 His Majesty the King has signed the National Assembly-Adopted-Bill into law, the Law to Ban of the Use of anti-Personnel Landmines. In the middle of this month the delegation of Cambodia will join the Third State Party of the Ottawa Convention as Cambodian is one of the Signatories. National and international laws have been helping a great deal in preventing our civilians from landmine injuries and at the same time assisting those victims with rehabilitation and socio-economic re-integration. Article 6 para. 3 of the Ottawa Convention stipulated that: "Each State Party in a position to do so shall provide assistance for the care and rehabilitation, and social and economic re-integration, of mine victims and for mine awareness programs. Such assistance may be provided, inter alia, through the United Nations system, international, regional or national organisations or institutions, the International Committee of the Red Cross, national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies…".

Let us use these above vehicle to strengthen our existing program that provide support for landmine victims, for hospital care, prosthetic centre, vocational training, and job placement; and be open to create new activities to address the holistic needs of land mine survivors and people with disabilities. We should co-operate with those international organisations, and more importantly lobby donors to put more funding.

Let me take this opportunity to thank the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour, Vocational Training and Youth Rehabilitation who has always been playing important role involving in this sector. The Ministry has many years assisted the Disability Action Council, a semi-autonomous national co-ordinating body, which composed of more than 40 of relevant national and non-government organisations.

Nevertheless, DAC themselves has been playing a leading role in co-ordinating with major operators in this field. I am well informed that the DAC has currently brought up together key actors to review existing programmes in order to find way what is best to adequately addressed the above mentioned needs, this include the formulation of the Strategic Plan on Disability and Rehabilitation.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:
You are not alone. The Royal Government in partnership with others national and international organisations and UN agencies have also done their part to share responsibility alleviating these problems. The establishment of Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) in 1992 to provide mine clearance, mine survey, marking and mine awareness is an exemplary. Two other major players in the mine action MAG and HALO Trust have been joining these efforts operating with similar programs. Coupled with these services I shall recognise Handicap International, the UNICEF, NPA, CARE, World Vision International, Church World Services, last but not least the CCBL. Without these services the casualties would not be possible to drop from 200 or 300 hundred to 60 a month.

Recognising the needs of strengthening the co-ordination, national planning, regulating, monitoring, and the implementation of Ottawa Treaty, the Royal Government has established the "Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, in short the Cambodian Mine Action Authority or the C.M.A.A. The Prime Minister who is always taken a personal interest in mine action matters acted as President and the Senior Minister of the Office of the Council of Ministers is Vice President, and representative from relevant ministries are members. His Excellency Minister Ith Sam Heng is also one of the Distinguished Members of the "Authority" and needless to say that Her Excellency Prak Chantha, the Secretary of State of this involved Ministry is the Chairman of the DAC Board.

Recognising the role and responsibility and excellent co-ordination effort, the Cambodian Mine Action Authority has delegated its co-ordination responsibility of mine victim assistance to DAC. The Sub-Decree issued by the Royal Government of 8 August 2001, Chapter 15, article 29 reads:

"All co-ordination, monitoring of the assistance to mine victims shall be the responsibility of the "Authority". As such mechanism is already in place, the "Authority" delegates its co-ordination responsibility to the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour, Vocational Training and Youth Rehabilitation and the Disability Action Council through recognition of Prakas 308/Mosalvy, dated 26 October 1999. The "Authority" may provide recommendations on all program services activities related to mine victims, and if necessary the "Authority" may send its representative to joint those program services of those organisations and agencies."…

I believe that this two-day workshop will allow us in one hand to finalise the strategy for victim assistance in our country and in another hand to prepare ideas, inputs and the Cambodia experiences to share with the Regional Workshop on Victim Assistance on 06-08 November in Thailand.

I am confident with this collaborative spirit from all of us in this room will surely benefit the victims who are currently waiting for help.

Let me conclude my speech by extending my best wishes to all of you for good health and successful accomplishment of your main mission. May I declare the official opening of the Workshop.

Thank you for your kind attention.