Night of a Thousand Dinners

Land Mines - The Problem-

Beyond maiming and killing tens of thousands of individuals each year, onethird of them children, landmines prevent reconstruction in postwar societies.They hinder the development of farms, roads, schools, and other necessaryinfrastructure, preventing communities from becoming economicallyself-sufficient.  

• The true measure of the global landmine crisis is the impact that landmines have on mine-affected communities.
• One-third of world's nations are affected by landmines.
• Estimates of the number of landmines deployed vary widely because the precise location of mines is not known.
• A minefield is an area suspected of containing mines - an area that is rendered uninhabitable or that cannot be cultivated or put to productive use because local populations fear entering the area.
• Tragically, fundamental human instincts and the need for food all too often compel adults and children alike to enter mined areas.
• Traditionally, antipersonnel landmines were used for military defense purposes, but increasingly they are used as offensive weapons.
• Landmines are designed to target civilian populations, disrupt people's lives, and displace entire communities from their homes and agricultural bases.
• The purpose of landmines is to inflict maximum harm on victims and to create a state of military, political, social, and economic imbalance in war-torn societies.
• Landmines can be laid anywhere, including roads, paths, fields, buildings, waterways, bridges, forests, and deserts.
• of estimated landmines:70- 80 million.
• Number of countries affected by landmines: up to 90.
• Cost of producing a landmine: as little as $3.
• Cost of removing a landmine: up to $1,000.

Landmine Survivors

• Landmines are indiscriminate weapons of war -- they do not distinguish between a soldier's footstep and a child's footsteps.
• Children are particularly vulnerable to landmines. Their small size places them closer to the source of a mine's explosion and, consequently, they often sustain more severe injuries than adults.
• At least 70% of reported landmine victims are civilians.
• Over half of landmine victims die from the initial explosion of a landmine.
• One-third of landmine victims survive, but suffer the loss of at least one limb.
• A person is maimed or killed by landmines at least once every hour and as often as every 22 minutes.
• The international effort to address the landmine problem is beginning to reduce the incidence of landmine accidents.
• Cost of providing an artificial limb to a landmine survivor: $100 to $3,000.

 
TheSolution

 Civic participation: by becominginvolved in Adopt-A-Minefield, citizens from around the world and allbackgrounds can make a very tangible difference in the lives of those living inmineaffected communities.

 Advocacy: The 1997 treaty banning theuse, production, stockpiling, and transfer of

antipersonnel landmines has been ratifiedby 135 countries and signed by 147. Since the treaty became law, countries mayno longer sign it, they must accede. Those countries which have already signed,must still ratify in order to be fully bound by the ban provisions.

 Universalization of the Treaty: 47countries have not yet signed the treaty including the United States, Chinaand Russia.

 Since the Mine Ban Treaty has been inforce, the trade in landmines has virtually ceased and more than two-thirds ofall mine-producing countries have stopped manufacturing mines and theircomponents.

 Mine Risk Education: UNICEF hasdeveloped international guidelines and standards for mine risk education- theeducation that teaches people in mine-affected countries how they can avoidmines. More effective mine risk education in some countries have reduced thenumber of landmine casualties- from 230 a month in Cambodia to 54 a month by 1999.

 Survivor Assistance: Internationalorganizations are trying to fill the void created by overburdened health caresystems in nearly all mine -affected countries, most of which are developingcountries. These organizations provide medical assistance, psychosocialsupport, rehabilitation- including prosthetics - and economic reintegration.After developing sustainable programs, over time, these internationalorganizations will be able to transfer programs to local and nationalauthorities assuring that a permanent system remains in place.

 Resource Mobilization: The Mine BanTreaty calls on the international community to assist mine-affected countriesto become mine-safe by providing necessary resources and technology that arenot available in these developing countries. While governments remain thebiggest donors for mine clearance and landmine survivor assistance, somegovernments have begun to reduce their level of support at a time when theseresources are needed more than ever.

For further information, please visit ourwebsite at www.landmines.org or

www.canadianlandmine.org