Land Mines

There are more than 100 million land mines in almost 70 countries around the world and they kill or maim approximately 26,000 people annually, inflicting physical and psychological damage to individuals, families, and communities. Seventy-five to 80 percent of land mine victims are civilians in countries at peace, the majority of them women and children in poor, rural areas. Although land mines are inexpensive to manufacture, they are extremely difficult and dangerous to remove. Women have taken leadership roles in worldwide efforts to ban their use and to aid land mine survivors through organizations such as the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). These activists argue that land mines’ limited military usefulness is countered by their great humanitarian costs.

Antipersonnel land mines are often buried weapons that explode through a triggering mechanism such as a trip wire or the pressure of a person's body weight as they walk over or near them. The modern land mine was first widely used during World War II in the mid-20th century. Terrorist and rebel groups have begun making homemade land mines, known as improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Land mines can remain active for decades or longer. Arguments against their military use include that they violate international rules of [Page 826]warfare by their inability to distinguish between civilian and military targets and the injuries they inflict are disproportionate to military objectives for their use. Modern military technology such as motion-detection equipment further limits their usefulness.

Land mines were initially developed as defensive devices aimed to maim enemy combatants, but in the late 20th century they became increasingly used as weapons with which to terrorize civilian populations. Modern land mines also began to kill increasing numbers of the soldiers they were designed to protect. Even newer “smart mines,” which have self-destruction or deactivations mechanisms, still fail or claim civilian victims. Early land mine fields were carefully marked and mapped, but technological developments such as the ability to drop mines from aircraft made careful record keeping more difficult and less likely. Natural phenomena such as weather can also cause minefield locations to shift over time.

One of the main problems with land mines is their indiscriminate nature-civilians, peacekeepers, and aid workers are common victims and most are killed or injured in countries at peace. Injuries caused by land mines include blindness, burns, limb injuries or losses, and shrapnel wounds. Other dangers include loss of blood, difficulty in getting the victim to medical care, inadequate medical care, amputations, and secondary infections such as gangrene. The United Nations (UN) has registered approximately 250,000 amputees worldwide. Surviving victims face long hospital stays and rehabilitation as well as ongoing physical and psychological problems. Children injured by land mines often never return to school and adult victims often struggle economically because of a lack of vocational training or other forms of support. Victims often face social exclusion and discrimination. Families who lose their main provider also struggle.

Fear of the presence of mines limits community development. Communities where land mines are present often have limited or no access to farmlands, roads, waterways, and public utilities, which threatens food production and livelihoods. The presence of minefields also hinders social services and emergency relief assistance. Their presence slows the resettlement of refugees and displaced populations. Poor countries’ economies are further strained under the expense of removing land mines and caring for their victims. Public activism against land mines surged in the 1990s. Women are among the most prominent land mine ban supporters, including the late Diana, Princess of Wales as well as Heather Mills and Queen Noor of Jordan.

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