Between 70- 80 million landmines lie dispersed in one-third of the worlds countries. 15, 000 – 20, 0000 people are injured or killed by these weapons each year.
Technology has radically changed the way wars are fought and many modern weapons, such as depleted uranium and landmines, have profoundly harmful effects on civilian health.
Depleted uranium [DU] is the substance left over when natural uranium is enriched. It is used in defensive armor and ammunition. When a DU weapon penetrates a solid object, like the side of a tank, it explodes in a cloud of vapour. The dust that settles afterwards is chemically poisonous and radioactive. Civilians can be exposed to DU through inhalation, ingestion and soil and water contamination. The lungs and kidneys are particularly vulnerable to the effects of DU exposure. The lungs are exposed through inhalation, and the kidneys filter and excrete DU dissolved from inhaled particles. Exposure to depleted uranium increases one’s chances of developing leukemia.
- Approximately 340 tonnes of DU were used during the 1991 Gulf War.
- NATO used 11 tonnes of DU in the Balkans in the late 1990s.
Landmines are explosive devices designed to wound, kill or disable combatants or civilians. They are usually triggered by pressure or by a trip wire. Landmines have numerous direct and indirect health consequences for civilians. They kill and disable people, resulting in the loss of limbs, blindness, and loss of blood. Those who survive require a lifetime of medical services that are often unavailable. Landmines along main roads also deny people access to medical services, immunizations, and safe water. Those affected by landmines also suffer the psychological consequences of their traumatic experience.
Afghanistan, Angola and Cambodia have a combined total of 28 million landmines, as well as 85% of the world's landmine casualties.
The use of landmines has been blamed for the abandonment of 80% of Angolan agricultural land.
Case Study: Afghanistan
Afghanistan, which has experienced more than 20 years of war, is the most mined country in the world. Approximately 10 million mines lie unmapped in large areas of the country. Refugees returning to Afghanistan after the war in 2001 are particularly vulnerable to landmines. Refugee camps are sometimes set up right beside mine fields.
- In an average month, up to 100 Afghani citizens are injured or killed from mines.
Attempts are being made to de-mine Afghanistan. Halo Trust, an NGO that employs 2,600 Afghani citizens, has cleared over 5 million landmines and unexploded ordnance from Afghanistan. With the help of the UN Mine Action Program, Halo Trust predicts that Afghanistan can be mine-free in 8 years. Agencies like the International Red Cross also provide amputees with prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation, which allow these brave survivors to return to their lives.
- Since 1988, the International Red Cross has treated 26,000 Afghani amputees.
- In 2003, Afghanistan joined the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty, which prohibits the production, stockpiling and use of landmines.
Want to Learn More?
1. “Ten Reasons Why Militarism is Bad for Women's Health”
http://www.peacewomen.org/resources/Health/Hynes.html
2. “Impact of Landmines” [United Nations Trust Association]
http://www.landmines.org.uk/268
3. “Country Facts: Afghanistan” [United Nations Trust Association]
http://www.landmines.org.uk/270
4. “Impact of Armed Conflict on Children” [UNICEF]
http://www.unicef.org/graca/a51-306_en.pdf
5. “Landmines: The Facts” [Landmine Action]
http://www.landmineaction.org/problem.asp
6. “Afghanistan’s Landmine Legacy” [BBC]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2153371.stm
7. “Afghanistan’s Hidden Killers” [BBC]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1702098.stm
8. “Depleted Uranium: Questions and Answers on Its Use in War” [IICPH Resource Centre]
http://www.iicph.org/docs/du_qa.htm
9. “Depleted uranium: sources, exposure and health effects” [WHO]
http://www.who.int/ionizing_radiation/pub_meet/DU_Eng.pdf
10. “WHO Studies Depleted Uranium in Iraq” [BBC]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1506151.stm
11. “Depleted Uranium” [WHO]
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs257/en/
See more photographs from War Child Canada’s projects in Afghanistan.
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