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U.S. Senate passes Victim Assistance and International Disability Bill Survivors have come one step closer to receiving increased funding for victims assistance programs worldwide. On September 13th the U.S. Senate passed S. 1777, the "The International Disability and Victims of Landmines, Civil Strife and Warfare Assistance Act of 2002" by unanimous consent. This legislation will expand authority at the US Agency for International Development (AID) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide increased assistance for: Medical and Rehabilitative Services; Research, Prevention and Public Awareness Campaigns; and Facilitation of Peer Support Networks for Individuals with Disabilities, including Victims of Landmines, and other Victims of Civil Strife and Warfare. Landmine Survivors Network (LNS) has been working closely with Members of Congress to ensure this essential need for increased funding be addressed. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) were instrumental in securing bi-partisan support among their colleagues for international disability and victim assistance. The plight of landmine victims worldwide is overwhelming. Eighty percent of landmine victims are civilians and one-third of those victims are children. Only ten percent have access to proper medical care and rehabilitation. In the developing world there are few medical supplies, little sanitation or clean water, and a scarcity of surgeons, physical therapists and psychologists. With hundreds of thousands of landmine survivors worldwide, their needs are great. The Senate passage of this bill is a significant step toward enabling victims of landmine, war and civil strife to reclaim their lives and take their place as proud and equal citizens who are born free with dignity and rights. How can you help? Click here for how to urge your House Member to support this legislation. |
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| For more information on the Mine
Ban Treaty and countries that have ratified it, contact the International
Campaign to Ban Landmines www.icbl.org
US Campaign to Ban Landmines |