Cash-Based Assistance for Social Inclusion of Survivors of War in the Digital Age

This chapter explores key themes related to aging in the digital era, focusing on technological innovations and social policy for older adult care in developing nations. It offers new perspectives on development, human rights, global risks, government responsibility, and universalism. In particular, the chapter examines the sociological impacts of cash transfers on older adult war survivors, situating these within the broader pursuit of social security for all and the commitment to leave no one behind. It argues that social protection can advance further through inclusive humanitarian policies, ensuring that organizations such as UNHCR incorporate forcibly displaced persons without exclusion. In recent decades, social protection policies have gained significant momentum worldwide, exemplified by conditional cash transfer programs in Brazil and Mexico, expanded social assistance in South Africa, universal old-age pensions in Botswana, Lesotho, and Namibia, and India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Despite these advances, social protection for survivors of conflict and violence—especially landmine survivors—remains largely underexplored. A notable development occurred in 2021 when the Inter-Agency Coordination Group adopted the draft International Mine Action Standard (IMAS) 13.10 on victim assistance. This standard establishes that landmine survivors have a right to be informed about and supported in accessing essential services, including cash and voucher assistance, framing such support as an entitlement rather than charity. It also outlines the responsibility of mine action NGOs and commercial operators to help survivors reach these services when states fall short of their obligations. The rights of forcibly displaced persons to social protection are increasingly addressed through inclusion policies designed to offset the economic burdens of displacement and promote socioeconomic integration, including durable solutions for internally displaced persons and older adult populations. Using Zambia’s local integration program as a case study, this chapter investigates the potential of mobile-delivered cash and voucher assistance for older adult landmine survivors. It raises important questions about the long-term sustainability of such assistance under the IMAS 13.10 framework and its broader implications for inclusion and resilience. These discussions provide valuable insights for building effective social protection systems for older adult war survivors in the digital age. Recommendations include investing in dynamic social registries for real-time targeting, expanding digital literacy initiatives, aligning policies by integrating IMAS 13.10 with global financial inclusion priorities, strengthening shock-responsive mechanisms, and exploring blockchain-based cash and voucher assistance to improve transparency and lower costs.