Landmines
Why does it happen?
Where does it happen?
Did you know?
How does Canada help?
Some things you can do
Afghani refugees examining mine samples
in a mine-awareness exhibit at
the Pol-e-charkie Refugee Camp,
which is the first point of entry for refugees
returning to Afghanistan.
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Excited and eager to tell his parents about his school soccer team’s victory, Mohammed decides to take a shortcut home through a field. Halfway across, a huge explosion throws him into the air. The 13-year-old Afghan boy has more than soccer to think about now. The blast from a landmine blew off both his legs.
Sixteen-year-old Stefan feels a stab of grief and anger every time he walks past the orchard where his family used to grow apricots. The trees always produced the best quality fruit and his family lived well off the proceeds. But that was before the conflict in Kosovo. Now the trees are untended and the apricots rot on the ground. Hidden in the branches and tree trunks, ready to explode at the touch of a tripwire, are landmines.
Ten-year-old Kuch makes a few dollars showing tourists around the ancient Cambodian temple complex of Angkor Wat. He keeps his right hand in the pocket of his shorts, ashamed to let people see he has no fingers. A year ago, while playing with friends near his home, he picked up an odd-looking plastic object and gave it an experimental squeeze. The explosion from a landmine shattered his hand.
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There are a number of organizations around the world that are working to end the horror of landmines and the devastating damage and injuries caused to their victims, young and old.
The following are links to some of these organizations:
Government of Canada information on mine action
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Every year, landmines maim and kill tens of thousands of people, many of them women and children. One of the most frightening things about mines is that they keep on killing long after a war is over. They can remain live and deadly for decades. Landmines from World War I and World War II are still a menace in Europe.
 Why does it happen?
The first landmines were large and cumbersome and were used mainly to destroy tanks and kill soldiers. Since the 1960s, they have become smaller, more versatile, and cheap. They can be buried, scattered from aircraft, or concealed in underbrush and abandoned houses. Some are designed to kill but others are made to maim.
Landmines are often laid with the express purpose of forcing civilians from their homes. They deny access to farmlands, irrigation channels, waterways, roads, schools, hospitals, and other public places. They are potent weapons for terrorizing “enemy” populations because of the indiscriminate and horrible damage they cause. They also prevent or slow down the delivery of relief supplies to isolated populations, thus increasing the possibility of hunger and starvation.
Where does it happen?
In 2003, twelve deminers employed by the
CIDA-funded Cambodian Mine and
Action Center either lost their legs
or lives while performing the delicate task
of locating landmines.
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Landmines are an acute problem in about 82 countries around the world. Afghanistan, Angola, the former Republic of Yugoslavia, and Cambodia are among the countries most severely affected.
Did you know?
- There are 110 million active landmines scattered around the world with an equal number stockpiled.
- The cost to remove all 110 million active landmines is estimated at approximately $33 billion.
- Landmines cost $3 to $30 each but the cost of removing them ranges from $300 to $1,000 each.
- For every landmine cleared, 20 are laid.
How does Canada help?
Canada has taken a leadership role in fighting the plague of landmines. In 1997, this country hosted the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on their Destruction, also referred to as the Mine Ban Treaty and the Ottawa Convention. In 2004, from November 29 to December 3, a review conference will be held in Nairobi, Kenya. It is called the Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World. World leaders, international organizations, and youth activists will meet to review the progress that has been achieved since the Ottawa Convention came into force. In addition, the summit is expected to adopt a powerful declaration and action plan that will recommit to overcoming the challenges that remain.
More than a year prior to the 1999 implementation of the Ottawa Convention, the Government of Canada established the five-year, $100-million Canadian Landmine Fund. In November 2002, the fund was renewed for another five years with an additional $72 million.
In addition, Canada, through CIDA and the Canadian Landmine Fund, supports programs for humanitarian demining, victim assistance, and mine risk education.
The Mine Action Unit, located within the Multilateral Programs Branch, provides leadership within CIDA on mine action policy and programming. The unit is the Agency’s main link on mine action matters to other federal government departments, and national and international organizations.
Currently, CIDA supports integrated mine action programming in severely mine-affected countries such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Mozambique, Angola, Sudan, and parts of Central and South America. CIDA also supports mine action in Afghanistan and Iraq, contributing $10 million and $5 million respectively, through United Nations landmine programming.
Some things you can do
- Learn more about landmines and what is being done to end their menace. Read related documents like Reclaiming Land, Rebuilding Lives: 2002-2003 Report on the Canadian Landmine Fund.
- Talk about landmines and related issues with your parents, teachers, and friends.
- Express yourself on the issue. Write an article for your school paper or write a letter to the editor of your local daily or weekly newspaper.
- Organize a fundraising event and donate the proceeds to an organization like the Red Cross, which aids the victims of landmines.
- Join an organization like Youth Against Landmines (YAL), which is dedicated to ridding the world of landmines.
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