Victim assistance is a structured obligation under international humanitarian disarmament law requiring states to address the long-term needs of people harmed by certain weapons, as well as their families and communities. It moves beyond emergency medical care to encompass a holistic, rights-based framework.
The concept was first codified in Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War (2003) to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, and was significantly expanded by the Convention on Cluster Munitions (2008) and the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (1997), particularly through the Nairobi Action Plan (2004) and Cartagena Action Plan (2009). The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (2017), in Article 6, extended similar obligations to victims of nuclear weapons use and testing.
Standard pillars of victim assistance typically include:
- Emergency and continuing medical care
- Physical rehabilitation, including prosthetics and assistive devices
- Psychological and psychosocial support
- Social and economic inclusion, such as vocational training and livelihood support
- Data collection on victims and their needs
- Laws and public policies ensuring non-discrimination
A defining principle is that assistance must not discriminate between victims of the specific weapon and other persons with disabilities or war-wounded; this aligns victim assistance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD, 2006). Affected states bear primary responsibility, while states "in a position to do so" must provide cooperation and assistance.
Implementation is monitored through national reports and meetings of states parties. Civil society actors, notably the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and the Cluster Munition Coalition, have been central in shaping the norm, often working through survivor networks. Persistent challenges include underfunding, rural access gaps, and integrating victim assistance into broader disability and development programming rather than treating it as a siloed disarmament deliverable.
Example
Following the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, Lao PDR—the world's most cluster-bombed country—integrated victim assistance into its National Strategic Plan for the UXO Sector (the "Safe Path Forward").
Frequently asked questions
Principally the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (1997), CCW Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War (2003), the Convention on Cluster Munitions (2008), and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (2017).
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