| In Cambodia and 83 other countries around the world, landmines consistently shatter lives and suppress already poverty-stricken residents.
The International Coalition to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is aiming to raise global awareness about the ongoing destruction being caused by anti-personnel mines. According to their website, www.ICBL.org, every year more than 15,000 civilians are killed by landmines. And 300,000 to 400,000 landmine survivors are still in need of the basic necessities of life. The Nobel Prize-winning organization also notes that some countries, including the United States and Russia, have still not signed the Mine Ban Treaty – an exhaustive document that covers mine clearance, stockpiling, production and trade, as well as mine use. Signed by 122 countries in Ottawa in 1997, its aim is to rid the planet of antipersonnel devices altogether. The number of participating governments has grown to 152 as of 2004.
The recent devastation in Southeast Asia has presented new dangers in countries such as Sri Lanka, where the widespread flooding has washed landmine markers away. Reports have been varied, but according to Susan Walker of the ICBL, the displacement of the landmines could present new threats to the residents of the embattled country.
"This is a quite serious situation that should find rapid response and action by all parties concerned, either in Sri Lanka itself or in the other devastated areas in the tsunami region," she writes in an e-mail interview. Walker was quick to point out, however, that keeping the "floating mines" problem in perspective is vital to avoiding panic in the region. She went on to say that in some cases, the media has amplified the problem.
In Cambodia, the tsunami had minimal impact, but the danger of landmines is still very much present.
TAKING RISKS
Calgarian Elke Hottentot, an international development consultant, arrived in Sisophon, Cambodia in December to work with the non-profit organization Norwegian People’s Aid, a position co-funded by Unicef. She is channelling her passion for peace towards helping villagers affected by mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) to develop community-based responses to reducing behaviour that puts civilians at risk.
"Mines and UXO are only one of many risks faced by villagers, leading to the need for a comprehensive approach if injuries and death are to be reduced," she says.
Poverty is yet another difficulty faced by people living in mine- and UXO-infested areas.
"People might be aware of the risk of mines, but they still go into the fields because that’s the only way they can make a living, through farming," Hottentot says.
"The need to earn a living leads to casualties among the so-called intentional risk-takers. As there are still many unidentified areas that are contaminated with mines and UXO, unintentional risk-taking behaviour still causes many to be harmed," she adds, noting the removal of landmines can be excruciatingly slow.
"The often random placement of mines presents a challenge to those removing mines, work that is ultimately being done by people on their hands and knees with metal detectors," says Hottentot. "This results in mine clearance being a slow process."
The relative calm in the region is still fresh and years of conflict have left people shell-shocked and weary.
"Up until 1998, there was conflict in Cambodia and landmines were being laid – 1999 was the first year people experienced peace after decades of war and conflict," she says.
For residents of Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Bosnia and other countries littered with anti-personnel devices, day to day living is rife with risk. Something as simple as walking across a field can be a harrowing experience. Various aid agencies, including the Red Cross and Engineers without Borders, are working to change that.
"The issue is the presence or perceived presence of landmines and how this sustains underdevelopment," Hottentot says. "It’s more important to look at how many people are hurt, killed, or maimed by landmines and how much land is underserviced as a result. Land, perfectly good land, can’t be used because of either fear or the confirmed presence of landmines."
SLOW PROGRESS
Geoff Coley is a landmine neutralization engineer with Defence R&D
Canada, a civilian research organization within the Department of
National Defence. He recently returned from working near Battambang, in central Cambodia, and Thma Puok, near the Thai border, where he supervised the testing of the Tempest, a three-tonne remote-controlled machine used in vegetation removal and landmine demolition. Burrowing five-to 10-centimetre by 1.5-metre swaths across minefields, the machine exposes explosive devices that are buried just beneath the surface, potentially making their removal safer.
However, Coley says that even though innovations in the machinery used to remove landmines is ongoing, the situation has not improved as much as previously hoped.
"Ten years ago, machines were going to be the great godsend and they were going to make the world safe," he says. "They were generally effective, but very slow. If they hit a large mine, then the damage to them is immense and very expensive," Coley says.
Despite the best efforts of various agencies, the dangers remain. "Innocent people are still getting hurt and killed by these things," he says. "The problem hasn’t gone away."
For Canadians, landmines don’t present any imminent threat and therefore it’s easy to overlook them as a problem.
"It’s really hard to hold the attention when you don’t have anything in your backyard. If half the cities in Canada had a landmine problem, then it would be a whole lot easier to keep people’s attention and to keep the focus on landmines," Coley says.
IMPROVING THE ODDS
The actual removal of landmines is dangerous work, but technological advances in the machines that clear the land are improving the odds for those working on the ground. Each organization and country varies in the equipment it chooses. Part of Coley’s job is assessing the potential effectiveness of the machines – some may be heavily armoured, but their size may not work in all areas, while others may cause too much environmental damage. Underdeveloped infrastructure can also present challenges in getting the machines to where they can be of use. Coley says if they can clear 95 out of 100 landmines in an area, then the risk is diminished significantly, but the work is far from complete.
Dr. Aldred Neufeldt, director of Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies at the University of Calgary, says landmines may not be considered breaking news, but the havoc they wreak on struggling families in developing and war-torn countries is unmistakable.
"Landmines in certain regions of the world are still one of the major causes of disablement and impairment of people," he says. "It obviously has life-altering implications for the people who are maimed and the people around them."
Dr. Neufeldt has worked closely with development groups in Bosnia and the Gaza Strip in Israel. He says finding alternatives to farming is key to preventing further injuries and deaths in landmine- and UXO-heavy areas. He cites the Thai government’s program that teaches young disabled men and women how to repair televisions. Once their training is completed, they may receive government funding to open their own businesses.
Despite the ongoing threats that landmines present, Hottentot says the issue is often overlooked in the media.
"Landmines are not as interesting, according to the media, but they still kill people. Right now, it’s 27 people per month that get killed by landmines in Cambodia. They’re mostly women and children. They’re sent out into the fields before the cattle to make sure there’s no landmines."
ONLINE RESOURCES
Canadian Landmine Awareness Week is February 28 to March 5. For more information on this issue, visit the following websites:
· www.stoplandmines.org – United Nations mine treaty.
· www.worldonfire.ca – Engineers Without Borders.
· www.minesactioncanada.org – Canadian campaign to ban landmines. |
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