Nepal: Facts and figures for 2013

01-03-2014 Facts and Figures

A round-up of activities carried out by the ICRC in Nepal in 2013.

Helping families of missing persons

Helping the families of people missing in connection with the conflict remains a priority. We intercede with various bodies on behalf of families seeking information on the fate of missing relatives. We also encourage the authorities to help the families and we support forensic work, such as exhumations and the identification of remains. In cooperation with the Nepal Red Cross Society and other organizations, we provide psychosocial, economic and legal assistance to the families of missing persons.

In 2013, the ICRC:

  • registered 45 new cases of missing persons, bringing the total number to 1,359;
  • helped families of missing persons to receive government assistance. A total of 81 cases were submitted to the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction;
  • expanded psychosocial support into 10 more districts, reaching 272 additional families. Nearly a thousand families have benefited from the ICRC services since 2010;
  • filmed a documentary entitled "Don’t Go So Far" on missing persons. A public screening was organized on the occasion of the International Day of the Disappeared, 30 August.

Restoring contact between family members

In 2013, the ICRC:

  • organized a refresher workshop for 17 Nepal Red Cross volunteers helping restore contact between family members or assisting families of missing persons;
  • helped 43 Bhutanese refugees to visit 23 relatives detained in Bhutan;
  • together with the Nepal Red Cross, distributed 74 Red Cross messages (containing brief family news) and collected 97.

Physical rehabilitation

The ICRC and the Nepal Red Cross help people who suffered injury or were disabled during the conflict to obtain access to government reparation schemes. In addition, they refer some of these people to one of two ICRC-supported physical rehabilitation centres. The ICRC provides the centres with equipment, consumables and training so that they can provide patients with custom-made artificial limbs and support devices.

In 2013, the ICRC:

  • supported two physical rehabilitation centres, which together provided services to more than 1,300 people with disabilities;
  • donated supplies as needed to 36 hospitals to enable them to provide surgical or other medical care for people wounded in isolated incidents of violence and for other patients;
  • provided 166 disabled people with assistive devices and a further 119 disabled people with other services.

Specialized training

The ICRC helps the Nepalese army and police as well as health and rescue services to improve their emergency preparedness and response. It trains security personnel in emergency first aid, and hospital personnel in the management of emergency trauma cases and of mass casualties.

In 2013, the ICRC:

  • organized train-the-trainer courses in dead-body management and emergency first aid for 24 Armed Police Force and 24 Nepal Police personnel;
  • organized basic training in dead-body management for 255 Armed Police Force and 144 Nepal Police personnel;
  • supported the training of 63 doctors, including two from the Bangladesh military, in the management of trauma cases through a specialized emergency-room trauma course.

Promotion of international humanitarian law

The ICRC promotes international humanitarian law among the authorities, the armed forces and academic institutions.

In 2013, the ICRC:

  • provided a legal opinion on the draft Geneva Conventions Bill prepared by the Nepalese government;
  • provided support for Nepalese Army training in international humanitarian law for more than 60 officers;
  • held a pre-deployment briefing for 50 Nepalese Army personnel leaving for the Democratic Republic of the Congo on a peace-keeping mission;
  • supported the participation of two senior Nepalese Army officers in two international courses on the applicability of international humanitarian law in military operations;
  • organized a workshop for 20 Nepal Police officers on the use of force and firearms under international human rights law;
  • supported the participation of 16 representatives of Nepalese government ministries, armed and security forces and civil society in an event called "South Asian Teaching Sessions on International Humanitarian Law";
  • supported the attendance of four senior government officials in two international meetings on international humanitarian law;
  • organized the national Henry Dunant Moot Court Competition on international humanitarian law. The winning team attended the regional round of the competition;
  • organized a photo exhibition entitled "150 Years of Humanitarian Action";
  • held a briefing on dangers facing health-care services for more than 25 medical directors of hospitals in Kathmandu.

Cooperation with the Nepal Red Cross Society

The ICRC is helping the Nepal Red Cross to improve the services it provides for victims of violence and natural disaster – for example, first-aid and ambulance services, restoring contact between family members and proper management of human remains.

In 2013, the ICRC:

  • trained more than 300 Red Cross action team volunteers in emergency preparedness and response at district level;
  • trained 175 volunteers in the basics of the dead-body management, while four volunteers were also trained as trainers in the subject;
  • maintained its support for 43 Nepal Red Cross first-aid teams that assisted more than 13,500 people during the year;
  • in cooperation with the Nepal Red Cross and the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction, broadcast a jingle throughout the country with the aim of raising awareness of the danger of mines.

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