Helping Hands in a Shattered Republic:
Victim Assistance in Chechnya
Chechnya has
endured over eight years of grueling combat with Russia. Thousands of
landmines have been sown throughout Chechnya and the victim toll is
constantly increasing. Victim assistance throughout the Caucasus has
become an essential element of rebuilding the lives of those affected
by landmines.
by Hayden
Roberts, MAIC
The situation in war-ravaged Chechnya is bleak, and the
outlook for the future does not look promising. When the war between
Russia erupted in 1994, no one expected the fighting would escalate to
the extent it has. Not only has the war claimed the lives of those who
are combatants, but it has also affected those civilians who reside in
the republic. Landmines and other UXO have been
the main cause of this far-reaching and increasing victim toll. Sadly,
these civilians trip landmines while doing common, day-to-day tasks
such as taking animals to pasture, collecting firewood or simply
playing with friends. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF), “approximately 4,000 Chechen children have been maimed or
killed by mines” since the first war broke out, and a combined total
of “7,000 to 10,000 people in Chechnya have fallen victim to landmines
during the two wars.”1 Unfortunately for these people, not much
demining can be done until the war comes to an end. Despite this,
there are many groups out there dedicated to helping the Chechens
overcome their terrible struggle with landmines.
The
International Committee of the Red Cross
The humanitarian
response the ICRC has provided to the area of the northern Caucasus is
admirable. Not only does the ICRC deliver food and other sundry goods
to the IDPs, they also ensure that these people have adequate access
to chlorinated water, provide medical assistance to hospitals,
encourage mine awareness, and work with other national organizations
and societies. In the republic of Chechnya, the ICRC focuses on
vulnerable groups in Grozny, Shali, Gudermes, Argun, Urus Martan,
Achkhoi Martan and Kruchaloy.
In
addition to the delivery of these goods, the ICRC has revived the
population of Chechnya in other ways. A water pumping station in
Grozny has been restored and now delivers chlorinated water to the
population of the city from two tanks. However, this supply is only
enough to cover the needs of about 37,000 citizens.2
The ICRC
assists medical care structures in various ways as well. Donations of
medical supplies and drugs have been made to nine different hospitals
in Chechnya. A substantial amount of surgical equipment was also
provided to these hospitals during the month of April. On March 1,
2002, the ICRC began a primary health care program. This project
ensures that 23 primary medical care facilities in Chechnya are
providing people with health care that they need as ICRC specialists
monitor the hospitals. In April and May 2002, the medical facilities
supported by ICRC donations carried out 3,581 consultations—1,560 of
these cases concerned children.2 Mobile medical teams have also been
introduced in Chechnya. These teams, consisting of two doctors (a
general practitioner and a pediatrician), a nurse and a driver, give “basic medical advice and, if needed, distribute medicine.”2
Mine
awareness programs attempt to teach groups of people the dangers of
landmines. As IDPs begin to move through the republic, the threat of
injury becomes imminent. It is for this reason that awareness is an
important facet of victim assistance. Mine awareness has already been
applied to many of the IDPs living throughout the Caucasus—with a
close focus on children. The Chechen republic faces a long road ahead
of them, in terms of the landmine crisis. Therefore, this is an
essential method for reducing the risk of being killed or maimed by
landmines.
An
extensive as well as effective mine awareness program has been
implemented in Chechnya via the ICRC. To target the youth, a puppet
show called “The New Adventures of Cheerdig” went on a tour in the
republic between February and May this year. Eighty-eight performances
were brought to 13,481 children in schools in the Groznensko-Selsky,
Shalinsky, Nozhai-Yurtovsky, Urus-Martanovsky and Gudermes regions.2
This puppet show has also been performing at the Graphic Arts
Department of the Pedagogical Institute to help out with design ideas
for mine awareness billboards. A Chechen children’s magazine,
Stelaad (Rainbow), has expressed the desire to work alongside the
ICRC to help push mine awareness information and advice to the youth.
The ICRC’s
attempts to assist the people of Chechnya deserves praise and applause.
The neighboring republics of Ingushetia and Dagestan receive similar
goods and aid on a scale that is almost up to par with the assistance
Chechnya has received. If this were not enough, the ICRC has also been
permitted to visit Chechens held in detention facilities in the
Russian Federation and Chechnya. Here, delegates can observe and
assess the conditions in which detainees are being held to ensure that
treatment of these people complies with the Geneva Conventions and
international law.
Let’s Save the Generation
Let’s Save the Generation (LSG) is a non-governmental organization
(NGO) that was founded on June 1, 2001. The goal of LSG in Chechnya is
to “provide humanitarian aid to disabled children, orphans and other
socially vulnerable groups.”3 LSG has established close working
relations with many organizations including: UNICEF, the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Memorial (a human
rights center) and many others. It is alongside these cooperating
groups that LSG hopes to alleviate the humanitarian crisis throughout
the Caucasus.
As the name of
this organization implies, children are the primary focus of the
humanitarian aid that is provided around the region. Weekly trips to
Vladikavkaz, provided by LSG, teach children the dangers of landmines
through theatrical performances. During the bus ride back to camp, an
LSG instructor makes a presentation in the children’s native language
on topics such as avoiding landmine injuries and accidents.
Informational booklets are also distributed. To ensure that the
children in IDP settlements are living in adequate and healthy
conditions, LSG distributes many simple, but necessary, items to these
people. The organization serves landmine victims in both Chechnya and
Ingushetia by providing wheelchairs, canes, crutches and stationery
donated by UNICEF. Other items, such as mattresses, blankets, bed
linens, jackets and boots are given to IDPs as well.
Medical and
psychosocial aid is another aspect of victim assistance that LSG
offers to children. The organization won a small grant competition
entitled “Your World in the Window,” which focused on the
rehabilitation of disabled children. As a result of this grant, LSG
not only has a database that contains the list of children who have
fallen victim to landmines and UXO, but they also monitor them to make
certain that they are receiving medical aid. To facilitate medical
assistance, a new rehabilitation center consisting of three tents
opened for handicapped children in Camp Bella on April 18, 2002. Many
UN agencies and NGOs participated in the opening
ceremony. The World Health Organization (WHO) contributed by donating
toys, books and craft materials to the new center.
International Rescue Committee
According to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) website, “The
IRC helps people fleeing racial, religious and ethnic persecution, as
well as those uprooted by war and violence.”4 At the onset of an
emergency situation, the IRC will send out assistance to the masses in
the form of food, medical and health services and shelter. Assistance
to Chechnya began during the first conflict with Russia from 1994–1996
and resumed in 1999 to respond to the thousands of people migrating to
the surrounding areas. The organization’s involvement in Chechnya has
been critical, due to the massive number of people who have been
displaced by the war with Russia. The IRC has estimated that over
300,000 have fled their homes to seek refuge in the Republic of
Ingushetia, and 170,000 others have been displaced inside Chechnya.5
With this tremendous inflow of IDPs, Ingushetia’s population has
practically doubled.
The current role
of the IRC is to implement programs that will aid the IDP population
in a number of underserved locations. According to their website
publication, “The IRC is currently active in four sectors of the
northern Caucasus: water and sanitation, shelter, education and
distribution of non-food commodities, in both Chechnya and neighboring
Ingushetia.”5
Water and Sanitation
The water and
sanitation program is one of the most far-reaching programs in the
region, serving settlements and camps throughout Chechnya and
Ingushetia. Purified water is sent to communities that have limited
access to this basic commodity. In addition, the ICRC collects garbage
and upkeeps sewage, pit latrines and bathing facilities. Fifty-six “safe
water points” have been established, serving close to 60,000 people.5
Shelter
When thousands
of people become uprooted by war, severe problems arise due to the
lack of suitable living conditions. As a result, IDPs migrating into
Ingushetia have created a heavy burden to its already poor population.
The IRC provides improved living conditions for those living in camps
and settlements. This is done by “conducting extensive repairs to
walls, floors, and roofs and upgrading and installing safe gas and
electrical systems.”5 In addition, houses in Grozny, where most of
the heavy damage exists, are being repaired to their original state.
Education and Distribution of
Non-food Goods
Basic education
and distribution of non-food commodities are other vital needs that
the IRC has been providing for the Chechen IDPs. The educational
program consists of formal schooling and has been serving 16 schools
in settlements throughout Ingushetia. Aside from this, it also
includes activities such as sports, clubs, arts and other types of
recreation. A vocational training course offered to IDP teenagers in
Ingushetia has given 109 participants an opportunity to receive a
state certificate in one of six alternative professions.6 People in
both Chechnya and Ingushetia have been receiving a wide variety of
non-food goods. Items such as blankets, clothing, hygiene products and
other supplies have been distributed on a regular basis by the IRC.
Other Noteworthy Assistance Programs
Handicap International
Handicap
International (HI) is another NGO that has ongoing assistance programs
throughout the Caucasus. HI has come to the aid of medical facilities
by supplying sufficient tools and apparatus’ for rehabilitation
programs. Through April and May of 2002, HI “donated 80 adult
wheelchairs, 70 children’s wheelchairs and 15 walkers to people who
had lost their mobility.”3 HI additionally provided materials and
medical equipment, such as a portable x-ray machine and osteosynthesis
material, to improve the capacity of trauma units in four Chechen
hospitals. To increase the medical personnel’s knowledge of
post-operations practices, HI held a two-week training course from May
26 through June 6 in the republican hospital in Nazran. Here, nurses
and staff could focus on the different aspects of rehabilitation.
United Nations Children’s Fund
Through many
different programs, UNICEF has been relieving the displaced people in
the Caucasus. UNICEF, by means of the Orthopedic/Prosthetic Workshop
in Vladikavkaz, serves mine victims in Chechnya. This UN-funded
workshop is currently the only clinic in the region that can fit mine
victims with prostheses and orthoses that they need. Aside from the
workshop, a physical rehabilitation center in Vladikavkaz treats mine
victims with massage therapy, physiotherapy and therapeutic ultrasound
technology. UNICEF-hired psychologists are posted at both facilities
to provide counseling to the women and children that have been
affected by mines or other UXO.
Conclusion
As long as Chechnya’s ongoing war with Russia endures, the effects on
the civilian population will be devastating. Landmines will continue
to be planted, which will lead some to experience lifelong physical
injuries and also perpetuate the fear that will drive others to become
IDPs. This short-term migratory situation can lead to several
long-term problems that could have disastrous repercussions within the
Caucasus: overpopulation, epidemics and outbreaks, unsanitary living
conditions, and an overburdened society. It is for this reason that the
problems landmines have caused have become exceedingly obvious. The
overall extent that landmines have permeated the lives of the Chechens
has made it a necessity for victim assistance to carry over to those
who have not yet been injured. In addition to the aid organizations
previously mentioned in the article, many other international agencies
and NGOs, have been actively involved in alleviating the crisis in
Chechnya. These other organizations, such as Médecins Sans Frontières
[Doctors without Borders], International Human Initiative, Voice of
the Mountains, World Vision International, Care International and Médecins du Monde [Doctors of the World] have helped support
hospitals, health posts and clinics in several towns and IDP camps.
The time and effort that have been put into assisting the IDP
population in the Caucasus today has created a hope for a better
tomorrow.
Endnotes
- Bagrov, Yuri. “New Limbs for
Chechen Children.” The Moscow Times. April 25, 2002. Page 4.
- ICRC Update. Northern Caucasus and Southern Russia: Facts and
Figures on Recent ICRC Action (April–May 2002). Geneva, Switzerland.
July 2002. Page 4.
- Lazarus, Jeffery, Irina Tarakanova and Dr. Mark Tsechkovski. “WHO
Health Action in the North Caucasus, April/May 2002.” Extracted from
the WHO Regional Office for Europe website. http://www.euro.who.int/emergencies/NcaucusesTop.
- International Rescue Committee website.
http://www.theirc.org/index.cfm?section=about.
- International Rescue Committee. “The IRC in Ingushetia and
Chechnya.” http://www.theirc.org/where/index.cfm?locationID=12.
New
York, New York. December 2001.
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“Humanitarian Action in the Northern Caucasus Information Bulletin.”
June 16, 2002.
Contact Information
The International Committee of the Red Cross
19 Avenue de la Paix
CH 1202 Genève
E-mail: press.gva@icrc.org
The International Rescue Committee
122 East 42nd Street
New York, New York 10168
Tel: (212) 551-3000
Website: www.theirc.org
Handicap International
Susan Walker
Tel: (207) 935-2633
E-mail: sbwhandicap@igc.org
Hayden Roberts
MAIC
Tel: (540) 568-2810
E-mail:
anne_hayden999@yahoo.com
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