‘Chris Giannou has operated on themine injured in Somalia, Cambodia,Afghanistan, Burundi
and Chechnya …
…and seen innocent lives changed beyondrecognition by one wrong step.’
ONE WRONG STEPTHE SCOURGE OF ANTI-PERSONNEL
LANDMINES
New InternationalistSeptember 1997
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY
WARM-UP ACTIVITIES FOR ONE WRONG STEP
1. WHICH ARE LANDMINES?
TIME
20 minutes.
WHAT TO PREPARE
Enough copies of the Activity Resource ‘Which are landmines?’ (OWS-4) for there tobe one between two.
HOW TO RUN IT
1. Ask the pairs to look at the pictures and tick which they think might belandmines. Ask them to note what they think the impact of a person treadingon the landmine might be both for that person and for bystanders.
2. Use the Activity Resource ‘Which are landmines? Answers’ (OWS-5) to give theanswers. Each group could be asked in turn what their answer was for eachquestion or it could be ‘Hands up the groups who ticked this one’. The mainpoints to draw out are how well the landmines might blend in with the sceneryand how different they can look from each other.
The Activity Resource ‘Information about landmines’ (OWS-24-32) will give moreinformation if it is needed at this stage.
2. LANDMINES IN THE WORLD
TIME
20 minutes.
WHAT TO PREPARE
• You will need a simple map of the world.
• Some map pins or sticky dots of two different colours.
• Copy of Activity Resource ‘Map of the World’ (OWS-6)
• Copy of Activity Resource ‘Landmines in the World (OWS-7)
HOW TO RUN IT
1. Divide into groups of 5-6 people.
2. Using the simple map of the world, ask half the groups to take one of thecolours of pins and place them in all the countries on the map they think areaffected by landmines.
3. Ask the other groups to take the second colour pins and put them in thecountries which they think make landmines.
4. Show Activity Resources ‘Landmines in the World’ and ‘Map of the World’ to seethe answers.
OWS-1
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY
WARM-UP ACTIVITIES FOR ONE WRONG STEP (CONT)
Discussion points could be:
• Is there any pattern to the countries which make landmines?
• Is there any pattern to the countries affected by landmines?
• Are any countries which make landmines also affected by them?
• What do you think about this?
NOTE: See the Activity Resource ‘Ottawa Treaty - Signatory Countries’ (OWS-8) whichmarks with a * the countries which have been major mine producing/exportingcountries but have now agreed to cease these activities.
3. THE MINE SIMULATION
You could use the Activity ‘The Mine Simulation’ (OWS-11) as a warm-up.
4. FOOTBALL ‘KNEES-UP’
TIME
15 minutes.
HOW TO RUN IT
1. Form participants into two equal sized groups.
2. One group makes a circle with the members of the other group anywhereinside it. The outside players throw a football (or similar) at the players withinthe circle, attempting to hit them on the legs below the knee.
3. After a set period of time, change the teams over. At ‘Full Time’ the team withthe least number of hits whilst inside the circle is the winner.
Variation
Once a team member has been hit, they must leave the circle. The game continuesuntil all the players have been eliminated from the centre of the circle. The teamwhich achieved this in the least time is the winner.
5. PAPERCHASE RELAY
TIME
15 minutes.
WHAT TO PREPARE
Enough sheets of A4 paper so that each team can have 2.
HOW TO RUN IT
Individuals (in teams of 6-10) attempt to run/walk the length of the room and backagain - walking on only two sheets of A4 paper!! Normal relay rules apply.
OWS-2
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY
6. DANGEROUS PAIRS
TIME
1. 30 minutes.
HOW TO RUN IT
1. Give a standard pack of playing cards (including jokers) to each group of 8 - 10participants. Ask them to sit or stand round a table and spread their cards outface down.
2. Each participant takes it in turns to turn two cards over to see if they can makea pair. If they are successful, they keep that pair and take another go. If a jokeris turned up, that player is out of the game. The remaining cards are collectedtogether (including the jokers), re-shuffled and re-laid on the table for theremaining participants to continue the game.
3. Continue taking turns until either:
a) all the cards are successfully paired up, (the player with the most pairsbeing the winner), or
b) there is only one player left in the game
If you have a number of ‘tables’ going at the same time, you could arrange a‘Grand Final’ with the winner from each table.
When you have finished ask the players how they think this game relates tothe topic. (You may wish to prompt them by saying it has something to dowith chance.)
WARM-UP ACTIVITIES FOR ONE WRONG STEP (CONT)
OWS-3
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY RESOURCE
WHICH ARE LANDMINES?
OWS-4
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY RESOURCE
WHICH ARE LANDMINES? - ANSWERS
WHEN IT COMES TO ANTIPERSONNEL MINES, GENERALS AND WARLORDS ARE SPOILT FOR CHOICE. OVER 350VARIETIES HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED, SUPPLIED BY MORE THAN 50 COUNTRIES. BUT THERE ARE FIVE MAIN TYPES.
1. BLAST MINES
The most common mines of all, theseexplode when stepped on. Laid in theground, they rely on the power of theexplosion alone to do their damage.The PMN mine shown here is thevariety that has probably killed morecivilians than any other. Made by theformer Soviet Union, it has also beenproduced by Iraq and possibly othercountries as well. Due to its largeexplosive charge it often kills and isdesigned to be virtually impossible toneutralize.
2. FRAGMENTATION MINES
Activated by tripwires just a fewcentimetres above the ground, thesemines shoot out hundreds of metalfragments at twice the speed ofordinary bullets. Often mounted onstakes or tied to trees andundergrowth, they are also known as‘stake mines’.
This example is a POMZ-2fragmentation mine which is usuallyplanted in clusters. Of Soviet origin,similar mines have been made byformer Czechoslovakia, formerYugoslavia, China, Egypt and SouthKorea.
3. BOUNDING FRAGMENTATION MINES
These mines leap up into the air aboutchest level before exploding intofragments. They kill whoever sets themoff and can wound people over a muchwider radius than surface mines of asimilar size.
The Valmara 69 shown here is activatedby tripwires connected to its fuseprongs. Stepping on it would also set itoff. Manufactured in Italy and oncontract in several other countries, ithas been widely deployed.
4. DIRECTIONAL FRAGMENTATION
MINES
Shooting out steel balls at highvelocity in a predetermineddirection, these mines are set offby tripwires or by remote control.Some varieties can kill at up to200 metres.
This MON-50 is a Soviet versionof the widely-used American M-18Claymore mine. The curved plateis filled with pellets in front of theexplosive.
5. SCATTERABLE MINES
Scatterable mines do not need tobe laid by hand; they can bescattered from aircraft or byartillery. They land on the groundwithout exploding and some areeven capable of setting up theirown tripwires.
The notorious Soviet PFM-s‘butterfly’ blast mine (above) iswidely used in Afghanistan. Itsdesign is intended to ensure thatit glides to the ground – thoughchildren have found it fascinatingto their cost. Small enough to fitin the palm of your hand andcoming in camouflage colours –green and sand – it blends in withthe terrain.
The lightweight, irregularly shapedSB-33 blast mine made in Italy(below) can be scattered in largenumbers by helicopters. Itsmottled surface makes it difficultto detect by sight. It has an anti-shock device that prevents it frombeing detonated by explosions orartificial pressure.
The New Internationalist, September1997
5
1
2
3
4
OWS-5
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY RESOURCE
MAP OF THE WORLD
In most areas of conflict, the m
inesused w
ere not indigenouslyproduced. This m
ap illustrates thesources for the landm
ines in ahandful of countries w
here theproblem
is particularly severe. InBosnia, the m
ines came m
ainly fromthe form
er Yugoslavia.W
HERE TH
E MIN
ES CAME FRO
MThe N
ew Internationalist, Septem
ber 1997
OWS-6
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY RESOURCE
LANDMINES IN THE WORLD
Country Ango
la
Cam
bodi
a
Afgh
anis
tan
Iraq
(Kur
dist
an)
Viet
nam
Eritr
ea
Moz
ambi
que
Suda
n
Ethi
opia
Bur
ma
Bos
nia
&Her
zego
vina
Croa
tia
Som
alia
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
26
28
30
Not
ava
ilabl
e
Not
ava
ilabl
e
Not
ava
ilabl
e
AMPUTEES PER 10,000 INHABITANTS
The New Internationalist, September 1997
AngolaIraq (Kurdistan)AfghanistanCambodiaBoznia-HerzegovinaVietnamCroatiaMozambiqueSudanSomaliaEritreaEthiopia
OWS-7
This pie chart shows approximate proportions rather than actual numbers becauseno one really knows how many land mines there are in the world.
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY RESOURCE
‘OTTAWA TREATY’ SIGNATORY COUNTRIES
The 122 countries listed below signed the treaty on 3rd-4th December 1997 inOttawa, Canada. (* indicates former major mine-producing/exporting countries)
TOTAL: 122
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Antigua &
Barbuda
Argentina*
Australia
Austria*
Bahamas
Barbados
Belgium*
Benin
Bolivia
Bosnia-Herzegovina*
Botswana
Brazil*
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada*
Cape Verde
Chile*
Colombia
Cook Island
Costa Rica
Ivory Coast
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic*
Denmark*
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Equador
El Salvador
Ethiopia
Fiji
France*
Gabon
Gambia
Germany
Ghana
Greece*
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Holy See
Honduras
Hungary*
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Italy*
Jamaica
Japan*
Kenya
Lesotho
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Monaco
Mozambique
Namibia
Netherlands*
New Zealand
Nicaragua*
Niger
Niue
Norway*
Panama
Paraguay
Peru*
Philippines
Poland*
Portugal*
Qatar
Republic of
Moldova
Romania*
Rwanda
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines
Saint Kitts and
Nevis
Samoa
San Marino
Senegal
Seychelles
Slovak Republic*
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa*
Spain*
Sudan
Surinam
Swaziland
Sweden*
Switzerland*
United Republic of
Tanzania
Thailand*
Togo
Trinidad and
Tobago
Tunisia
Turkmenistan
Uganda
United Kingdom*
Uruguay
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Yemen
Zimbabwe
OBSERVER
Countries
China
Cuba
Finland
Israel
Lebanon
Russian
Federation
Syria
Ukraine
USA
Source: The UK Working Group on Landmines
OWS-8
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY
PAPER BALL WAR
PURPOSE
For young people to experience feelings which may give them an insight into theeffects of war on people.
WHAT TO PREPARE
You will need some old newspapers.
TIME
30 minutes
HOW TO RUN IT
1. Divide the group into two and give a few newspapers to each group. They haveone minute to prepare paper balls (ammunition).
2. At a signal, the two groups ‘go to war’ by throwing paper balls at the oppositeteam. It may be necessary to have a half way line which the teams may not cross.
3. While the energy is high, declare a ceasefire to discuss the following;
• what are the effects on the people?....(tired, hurt, angry, triumphant...)
• what are the effects on the room?....(wrecked, littered....)
• what could the group do to help the people and the room to get back tonormal?
4. Using the thoughts of the group and the experiences during the game;
• contrast these with the effects on people and on the environment of warbetween countries. One of the long-term effects is the devastation causedby land-mines after the war is over.
From: One World Week 1995 Young People Imagine. Development Education for Youth (DEFY).
OWS-9
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY
PURPOSE
To encourage young people to think about hazards closer to home. Combined withother activities this can also help convey how difficult it is to comprehend a walkto school along a mined route.
WHAT TO PREPARE
You will need a number of large sheets of paper.
TIME
30 minutes
HOW TO RUN IT
1. In groups of 5-6 people, stick together some large sheets of paper.
2. Draw the route from where you are meeting to a place of interest e.g. a cinema,bowling alley, local park. Each group adds other features to make it into a map.Each group can choose a different place of interest and their method oftransport - walking, cycling, etc.
3. Mark the map with an x to show the places which might be hazardous to you:e.g. busy roads, dangerous cross-roads, level crossings, dark alleys, waterways,bridges, lonely stretches etc.
4. Discuss what you would do to avoid the hazard or reduce the danger. Writeyour answers in a different colour near the cross. Compare the charts of eachgroup.
5. As a whole group, discuss the differences between the groups. What would itmean if you knew there were landmines planted in the area of the map but youdid not know where?
RISKY ROUTES?
OWS-10
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY
THE MINE SIMULATION
PURPOSE
• The desired outcome of the simulation is that young people begin to understandthe cruelty of landmines and the difficulties of reducing risks for people who livein or near minefields.
• There is a risk of this simulation being carried out inappropriately, therefore it isimportant to maintain the balance between fun and education.
WHAT TO PREPARE
• A big ball of string or wool, chalk, newspapers or carpet tiles.
TIME
30 minutes.
HOW TO RUN IT
1. Split the group into two teams. One will bethe ‘soldiers’ and the other will be the ‘locals’.
2. The locals mark out on the ground a 5 metresquare area divided into twenty-five equalsquares using chalk on a hard surface, woolor string on a soft surface or using carpet tiles(see diagram). This will be the minefield.
3. The soldiers draw a small version of this gridon a piece of paper. They put 6 mines in 6separate squares on the page.
4. The locals have to cross the minefield to reach the water supply, the fields andthe school. They know the area is mined but they just hope they won’t tread onone this time. One wrong step will mean injury or death.
• Each local chooses their own starting point.
• They must make their way from one side of the grid to the other.
• On your instruction each local takes one step.
• They may step forwards, or backwards or sideways one square only.
• More than one person can occupy a square at a time.
5. After each step the soldiers tell the locals whether anyone has stepped on a mine.
• If a person steps on a mine, they are killed or very severely injured and areout of the game.
• If a person is in the square beside a mine that explodes they lose an arm.
• After this they lose the second arm, then a leg per mine. They are out of thegame if both arms and legs are lost.
6. How many people reach the other side safely?
How many people are injured?
How many people are killed?
OWS-11
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY
THE MINE SIMULATION (CONT)
Variation
If space allows, make a larger grid and substitute the following in place of point 5:
• If a person steps on a mine, they are killed or very severely injured and are outof the game.
• If a person is in the square beside a mine that explodes they lose a leg andmust hop.
• If a person has lost two legs, they move on their backsides. After this they loseone arm per mine.
• They are out of the game if both arms and legs are lost.
Discussion points for the whole group:
• How did the locals feel as they were crossing the minefield?
• How did the soldiers feel as the locals were trying to cross the minefield?
• Were more or fewer people killed or injured than you had expected before youstarted?
• How much was skill and how much just good luck?
The Activity Resource ‘Information on landmines’ (OWS-24-32) will providebackground information if the discussion progresses.
This activity has been adapted from the ‘The “in dubious taste” Mine Game’ in One World Week 1995- Young People Imagine from DEFY, who in turn adapted it from Between the Lines by CAFOD.
OWS-12
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY
A STORY OF TWO HALVES
PURPOSE
• To convey how the day to day lives of ordinary people are shattered, if notchanged forever, when they are injured by a landmine.
WHAT TO PREPARE
• Enough copies of each cropped photograph to have one per group of 5-6people. You will need one copy each of the full size pictures. You can use anaudio-cassette recorder and blank tapes if you want to record in this way.
TIME
45 minutes.
HOW TO RUN IT
1. Give each small group a copy of each of the cropped photos.
2. Ask them to work together to devise a story about each of the pictures. Whatdo they think might be happening?
3. They may want to record their story on an audio-cassette, by drawing picturesor in writing. When they are ready, give them the full photographs. Tell them tolook at them and read out the captions.
4. Discuss:
• How did you feel when you saw the whole photograph?
• How would you change your story now?
• What will the person now need to enable them to live an independent life?
• Is there something you or your group could do? (Activity Resource ‘Whatyou can do’ on page OWS-33 might be useful.)
The photographs are reprinted with permission from the International Committee of the Red Crossspecial brochure Landmines must be stopped, updated in 1995.
OWS-13
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY RESOURCE
A STORY OF TWO HALVES
OWS-14
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY RESOURCE
A STORY OF TWO HALVES P2
On the way to the future.
A boy at an International Committee of the Red Crossprosthetics workshop learns to use his new artificiallimb.
Amputees are admitted once their wounds have healedas completely as possible, which may be from a fewweeks to months after surgery. Fitting and treatmentcan take from four to eight weeks depending on thelocation and severity of the amputation.
Wali Mohammad was 15 years old when he steppedon a mine as he ran to get help for his aunt who hadjust been injured by another mine. He had to have hisleg amputated. “My biggest problem is to be deprivedof a leg. My family members regret the bad fortune Ihave got. They are all worried about my future. Before,I was working in a field and was earning some money.With an amputated limb I will not be able to continuewith that work. I couldn’t plan for my future as long asI haven’t got a prosthesis.”
From Landmines must be stopped, International Committee of the Red Cross. Special brochure, 1995.
ICRC
/GRA
BHORN
, CA
MBODIA
OWS-15
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY RESOURCE
A STORY OF TWO HALVES P3
Many amputees never find a place in society and aredriven into destitution.
Where amputees leave hospital without artificial limbsthey are likely to return to their villages with littlehope for the future. There a number of factors whichmake integration difficult.
• there may not be laws against discriminationagainst people with disabilities and, if there are,enforcement may not be practicable.
• where the family and local community depend onall the people in the community working in thefields to produce food, a person who is unable tocontribute in this way is felt to be a burden. Thiscan be the case even where it is the culture forthe family to protect their relatives.
• cultural traditions and attitudes based on religioncan mean amputees are no longer consideredeligible for marriage. Women can become virtualoutcasts and men often migrate to towns to beg.
From Landmines must be stopped, International Committee of the Red Cross. Special brochure, 1995.
OWS-16
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY RESOURCE
A STORY OF TWO HALVES P4
South Lebanon - February 1995
Twenty-one year old Rabha Hassa Assad Suyadanstepped on a mine that had been placed in the storageroom of her house:
“I thought I had suffered an electric shock when Iwalked into the storage room to get some food for ourgoats. The explosion ripped me off my feet and threwme into the yard. Looking down at my legs, I realisedthat my left foot was missing. At the beginning it didnot hurt, but after half an hour I was in terrible painand fainted.”
It took four hours to evacuate her to the nearest
hospital: two cars broke down because of the badroads and the snow. Rabha now lives with her mother.
“Sometimes I feel I have lost everything in my life,that nothing is left, and I start crying. My life haschanged. I can no longer work and I have a two yearold son; my husband lives far away in Beirut. Myfamily and neighbours have been very helpful......Now Iwill try to get a prosthesis. I say to other survivors ofmine injuries like myself; we have to keep our hope.”
The mine on which Rabha stepped had been collectedin the nearby woods by her grandmother who put it inthe storeroom without realizing what it was.
From Landmines must be stopped, International Committee of the Red Cross. Special brochure, 1995.
ICRC
/B. ST
AEHLI
N
OWS-17
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY RESOURCE
A STORY OF TWO HALVES P5
Amelia was collecting dried leaves and firewood in thebrush when she was thrown up in the air by alandmine. She passed out when she hit the ground.
She recalls the pain, the darkness and the voicesaying that she had stepped on a landmine. It wasonly after being carried to the main road, transportedby car to the local hospital and then to the mainhospital in Maputo that she realised how serious herinjuries might be.
It’s been seven months since the accident happenedand Amelia has been recovering well, slowly but
steadily. She now has artificial eyes and an artificiallimb with which she is learning to walk, with the aid ofa white cane she taps around her. In spite of all she’slost, Amelia has learnt one thing: to go on with liferelying on her other senses.
People have told her that fighting in Mozambique isover, but her struggle for survival has just begun. Sheis only twelve years old, blind and disabled. She hasno real family and no idea where she might be takentomorrow.
From Landmines must be stopped, International Committee of the Red Cross. Special brochure, 1995.
ICRC
/L.G
ASSE
R, M
OZA
MBIQ
UE
OWS-18
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY
ROLE-PLAY ‘LANDMINES AND THEIR PLACE IN SOCIETY’
PURPOSE
• To express the range of arguments about the production and use of landminesand to show the dilemmas which might be involved for some people. It isdesigned to bring to life the facts described in Activity Resource ‘Informationon Landmines’ (see pages OWS-24–32) so the participants can have aninformed discussion.
NOTE:
The role-play takes the form of an open debate so participants sit where they likewithin the group, rather than adopting the much more rigid seating arrangement ofa formal debate.
The leader must emphasise that it is a role-play, where participants take on the rolethey have selected and must argue from that point of view, even if they do notagree with it.
The leader controls the debate to ensure that only one person speaks at a time.
If the discussion gets too heated, the leader calls ‘Freeze - Time out’ and askseveryone to break out of role to look at what is happening.
WHAT TO PREPARE
• Copy Activity Resource ‘Landmines and their place in Society - Roles’ (see pageOWS-21) so there are enough roles for each person to adopt one. (If you havemore people than roles, there will be duplicates of some of the roles.)
• Copy Activity Resource ‘Information on Landmines’ (1 for each person) to assistparticipants in the preparation of their argument.
TIME
One hour (longer if it is a group of more than 12-15 participants).
HOW TO RUN IT
1. Fan the role cards face down and allow each member of the group to selectone.
2. Check that everyone understands what is written on their role card.
3. Allow everyone 5-10 minutes to prepare their argument.
4. Introduce the idea of this being an open debate and tell them how long it willlast (it is suggested no more than 30 minutes for a group of about 12-15).
5. The leader then introduces the subject by making a statement, e.g. ‘I think thatlandmines are terrible weapons and should be banned worldwide’ or‘Landmines are a big industry and a total ban on them would put many peopleout of work’.
6. Then invite others to present their argument. (If everyone tries to speak at once,suggest that they put up their hand if they wish to speak.) Hopefully, once theball is rolling, participants will see that the aim is for each argument to besupporting the opposite view from the last one. If this does not happen, thenencourage it by asking if anyone has a different point of view from the last one.
OWS-19
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY
7. Once the time is up, bring the debate to a close by getting everyone to vote (inrole) about whether landmines should be banned or not.
8. It is very important to now bring everyone out of their role. Do this by sittingthem in a circle and doing a round of ‘I was a ______ but now I am (give theirname) again’.
Discussion points
• What did it feel like to have to play a role?
• What did it feel like when you had to present arguments you strongly disagreedwith?
• Was it easier to argue the points if they reflected your own feelings about theissue of landmines?
• What are your own views on landmines?
ROLE-PLAY ‘LANDMINES AND THEIR PLACE IN SOCIETY’ (CONT)
OWS-20
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY RESOURCE
LANDMINES AND THEIR PLACE IN SOCIETY - ROLES
You are the owner of an arms manufacturing business.
When you first started the business, things were very much hand to mouth but nowthe company is very successful and makes you a lot of money. The best seller forthe company is a new anti-personnel device which seems to have captured a nichein the market. You strongly believe that people and organisations should be free tobuy arms if they want to.
You are a worker at the arms manufacturing factory.
The job is boring but pays good wages which you would not normally be able toearn elsewhere. Also, the hours are flexible so that you are able to work betweendropping the children off at school and picking them up again. The wages you earnmean that you are able to have custody of your three children who are now aged10, 8 and 7.
You are a politician.
Your party is currently clamping down on rebel members within it. However, manyof your colleagues are secretly supporting warring countries because they havebusiness interests in the arms manufacturing industry. Although you may not findthese ethics appealing, you are prepared to turn a blind eye, rather than lose yourjob.
You are an esteemed military leader in a warring country.
You know that tactical manoeuvres are an essential route to victory. Landmines arecheap and help to keep people in one place, while at the same time lowering themorale of enemy troops.
You are a freedom fighter in an occupied country.
Your weapon supply is limited but you are part of a force which is desperate to ridyour country of the oppressive enemy. Landmines are one of the few weaponsavailable and within your budget.
You are a retired UN representative.
You lost your left leg and most of your right foot whilst on diplomatic duties in acountry just recovering from war. You stepped on a landmine as you got out ofyour vehicle to attend a meeting. Luckily you were taken to a top class hospitalvery quickly.
You are a farmer.
You stepped on a landmine whilst farming your fields and lost a leg. You knew thatthe area was dangerous but had no choice since your family has no other means offood supply. You are now no longer able to farm as you can only walk with crutches.
OWS-21
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY RESOURCE
You are the widow of a soldier.
You lost your husband when he was working as a soldier in Bosnia. The Army lookafter you well but you have never been able to bury your husband since the land istoo dangerous to retrieve the body.
You are a parent.
Your fourteen-year-old son went into a previously unknown mined area where hecaught the tripwire of a landmine. It exploded and severely injured him but he diedin your arms while you were waiting for transport to take him to the hospital. It isvery difficult for your family to survive now that you have one less person to work.
LANDMINES AND THEIR PLACE IN SOCIETY - ROLES (CONT)
OWS-22
ONE WRONG STEP
ACTIVITY
DOING A SURVEY ON LANDMINES
PURPOSE
• To encourage participants to investigate the extent of other people’s knowledgeabout landmines and their effects.
• To involve the participants in planning and carrying out a project.
WHAT TO PREPARE
• Participants will need copies of the Activity Resource ‘Information aboutLandmines’ (OWS-24-32.)
TIME
This is an activity that could be done in one substantial session of 2-3 hours or ina number of shorter sessions of 1 hour or so.
HOW TO RUN IT
1. Discuss who you want to survey. (You must only survey people you know orthose participating in a similar event to you, e.g. international camps, and theyshould participate voluntarily.)
2. Discuss how many people you want to survey and what you want to ask them.e.g. their knowledge, or lack of it, on landmines, their response to the effects oflandmines etc.
3. Work out each practical step, starting with typing up the questions and copyingthem etc.
4. Be realistic with the timescales.
5. Perhaps you could use the Activity Resource ‘Information about Landmines’ toproduce a factsheet of ‘10 shocking facts about landmines’ to give to thosesurveyed, after they have answered your questions.
6. Plan what you will do with the data when it comes back. Will you collateit and produce a report? What will you do with the report? Will you use theinformation to plan another action? (You might like to refer to the ActivityResource ‘What you can do’ at the end of this section.)
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INFORMATION ABOUT LANDMINES
WHAT ARE THEY?
Landmines are weapons that cannot distinguish between the footfall of a soldier andthat of an old woman gathering firewood. They recognise no cease-fire and, longafter the fighting has stopped, they can maim or kill the children and grandchildrenof the soldiers who laid them.
From: Landmines, A Deadly Legacy, Human Rights Watch.
The accepted legal definition of a mine is:
‘a munition placed under, on or near the ground or other surface area and designedto be exploded by the presence, proximity or contact of a person or vehicle.’
The fuse may incorporate a tripwire, an anti-handling device or some form ofelectronic sensor.
Landmines are deadly weapons of destruction, which are buried in the ground orscattered from helicopters or aeroplanes during wartime. They can be:
• high-explosive anti-tank mines, designed to destroy tanks and other largevehicles. They are triggered by the pressure of a heavy load.
• smaller Anti-Personnel Mines (APMs) designed specifically to kill or maim people.These mines are usually triggered by a trip-wire or by someone treading on apressure switch or picking them up. APMs are mines which are designed to beexploded by the presence, proximity or contact of a person and will incapacitate,injure or kill one or more persons.
There are essentially two kinds of APM:
• blast mines
• fragmentation mines
BLAST MINES
These are hand-laid or scattered from the air. When a person steps on one the blastoften rips the foot or part of the leg off and forces dirt, parts of the victim’s shoe andfoot high up into the leg. This often causes secondary infection requiring amputationeven higher up the limb. Blast mines are difficult to detect and clear.
FRAGMENTATION MINES
These are activated by tripwires just a few centimetres above the ground. They shootout hundreds of metal fragments at twice the speed of ordinary bullets and producepuncture wounds, blinding and death.
There are three kinds of fragmentation mines:
• stake mines: in order to increase the shrapnel effect, these mines are mountedon stakes to raise them above the ground, but the tripwires cannot be seen.
• directional fragmentation mines: these shoot out steel balls at a high velocity ina predetermined direction. They are set off by tripwire or remote control. Sometypes can kill a person 200 metres away.
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• bounding mines: a small propelling charge first lifts the mine to stomach/chestheight before the main charge explodes, making it much more lethal andshooting the fragments over a much wider area.
ANTI-HANDLING AND ANTI-DISTURBANCE DEVICES
These are mines fitted with switches which make them explode as soon as they aretilted or moved. They are very hazardous to mine clearers because they will explodein their faces if a prodder hits them. (See ‘How can they be cleared?’,page OWS-28.) Other switches in the mine are designed to explode if a minedetector passes over them or if they are exposed to daylight.
WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?
See Activity Resource ‘Which are landmines?’ (page OWS-4).
HOW MANY ARE THERE?
There are millions of active mines scattered in over 70 countries waiting to explode.Estimates vary between 100-120 million (International Committee of the Red Crossand United Nations) and 85-90 million mines (U.S. Pentagon.) These approximatefigures have been translated as one mine for every 17 children or 52 people in theworld. A further 110 million are reported to be stockpiled ready for use.
WHICH COUNTRIES ARE INFESTED WITH LANDMINES?
70 countries have mines scattered over them. The countries in the pie chart beloware the most severely affected areas.
This pie chart has been designed to indicate approximate distribution.
See Activity Resource ‘Landmines in the World - Figures’ (page OWS-7.)
INFORMATION ABOUT LANDMINES (CONT)
AngolaIraq (Kurdistan)AfghanistanCambodiaBoznia-HerzegovinaVietnamCroatiaMozambiqueSudanSomaliaEritreaEthiopia
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WHICH COUNTRIES PRODUCE THEM?
See Activity Resource ‘Map of the World - where mines come from’ (page OWS-6)and Activity Resource ‘Ottawa Treaty - Signatory Countries’ (pages OWS-8).
WHO LAYS THEM AND HOW?
They are laid by people in conflict, or at war with, other people. This includespeople within countries and people from different countries. They are often laidindiscriminately, sometimes scattered from aircraft or helicopters, so there is noaccurate map of where the mines are laid. They can be hidden in paddy fields,around villages, by the water supply, along footpaths and by river banks.
New technology has concentrated on improving remote-delivery mines. They arestrewn in large quantities from aircraft, helicopters or from artillery. One helicopter-mounted system is designed to drop 2,080 anti-personnel mines in 3-16 minutes.They are easily sown in much larger quantities than hand or mechanically placedmines and they are virtually impossible to map accurately because of this.
WHY DO PEOPLE LAY THEM? HOW VALUABLE ARE THEY AS A MILITARY WEAPON?
Mines were formerly used primarily as a defensive tactical weapon but they arenow used more as an offensive, strategic weapon. They are often aimeddeliberately at civilians in order to:
• empty territory;
• destroy food sources leading to famine;
• create refugees;
• spread terror.
They are used particularly in internal conflicts, such as in Afghanistan, Cambodia,Angola, Somalia, El Salvador and the former Yugoslavia. They have also been usedby governments and conventional armies.
Targeting civilians in this way is a blatant violation of international humanitarianlaw.
However, there is an increasing amount of evidence and opinion from seniormilitary officers that ‘the appalling cost in human terms of using mines faroutweighs their limited military utility.’
Quote from The ICRC study Anti-personnel mines - friend or foe?
Among the 26 conflicts since 1940 examined in the above study, no case was foundin which the use of anti-personnel mines played a major role in determining theoutcome. More than 50 retired senior officers from 20 countries have sinceendorsed the study’s conclusions.
INFORMATION ABOUT LANDMINES (CONT)
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WHAT EFFECT DO THEY HAVE ON PEOPLE WHO ARE INJURED BY THEM?
‘After 17 years as a war surgeon, I know that war wounds are particularly ugly. Butthere is something specifically horrific and barbaric about mine injuries so that,even after everything I have seen, I am still appalled by them. I don’t thinkanybody can be hardened enough not to be affected when they see what mines doto a human being.’
Chris Giannou, war surgeon quoted in the New Internationalist, September 1997.
As by far the largest use of mines is in rural areas, there is often a problem ofcommunication and transport. If someone is injured it may take a long time toreach a health facility, maybe up to two weeks. By this time the person will havelost a lot of blood and will usually have a well established infection in the wound.
Artificial limbs cost about $125 and are far too expensive for mine victims in manypoor communities. A child will need to have an artificial limb replaced every sixmonths. Adults need them changed every 3-5 years. This is an area where aidorganisations seek to provide help so that mine survivors have a better chance ofbeing independent. Workshops manufacturing artificial limbs in the affectedcountries and limb fitting centres have an important part to play. The InternationalCommittee of the Red Cross (ICRC) runs 19 limb-fitting centres in 8 countries. Muchmore of this kind of support is needed.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE BEING INJURED OR KILLED?
26,000 people are killed or injured every year; mostly civilians, many of themchildren. 2,000 people are involved in landmine incidents every month - that’s oneperson every 20 minutes, according to ICRC estimates. Around 800 of these will dieas a result; the rest will be maimed. It is estimated that up to 85% of children whosuffer landmine injury die before they reach hospital.
The ICRC information shows that globally 19.8% of victims are children under 15.31.3% are ‘obvious non-combatants’.
The UK Working Group on Landmines estimates that more than 1,000,000 peoplehave been killed or seriously injured by landmines over the last 25 years, theequivalent of wiping out all the inhabitants of Leeds.
Anecdotal evidence and some studies estimate that for each person who doesreach hospital another person died out in the field. Another statistic quoted by theICRC is that half of all victims die within minutes of the blast.
WHAT EFFECT DO THEY HAVE ON COMMUNITIES?
• They are used to terrorise the civilian population.
• They hinder agriculture because they deny access to land.
• They isolate and frighten people.
• They are a deadly barrier to the safe return of millions of refugees.
INFORMATION ABOUT LANDMINES (CONT)
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• They separate people from their water supplies and from power plants.
• Roads and waterways are not safe - transport systems grind to a halt.
• Reconstruction after the war is slow and very costly.
• The health care system is overburdened with the treatment of mine victims.
• Mine clearance is very expensive and takes money which is needed foreducation, health and reconstruction.
• Aid money is taken up by very expensive methods of transport to avoid thedanger of landmines.
• Mine injuries challenge the entire health system of a country. It is likely to bedisorganised by the war in the first place, and then mine victims need manyresources which are in short supply in poor, war-torn societies. These willinclude first aid, transport, surgical care, dressings, blood, antibiotics, artificiallimbs, physiotherapy, vocational training and social reintegration. Mostcountries affected by landmines just do not have the resources to meet theneeds of mine survivors and their families.
HOW CAN THEY BE CLEARED?
Landmines cost up to £750 each to remove, although they cost as little as £2 tobuy.
It is a very slow, dangerous and expensive process. Experts think that, unlessclearance efforts are multiplied, it may take many hundreds of years to clear theentire world of mines, assuming no new mines are laid.
On average, for every 5,000 mines removed, one de-miner is killed and two othersare injured.
In order for mines to be cleared, they first need to be detected and this can bedone by using metal detectors, trained dogs or prodders to probe the ground.
An article on mine-clearing in Cambodia described how mine-clearers carry out theirwork.
• They first clear the area of thick vegetation by hand, constantly checking forhidden trip wires, which could detonate a hidden mine.
• Then a metal detector is used to check the cleared area. If it detects any metalit emits an electronic chirp.
• If this occurs, another de-miner uses a prodder to find out what kind of mine isburied. It is then very carefully dug out.
• Then a trained explosives expert can place a charge next to it and detonate itin a controlled and safe environment.
It is nerve wracking and demanding work and can be very uncomfortable sincedeminers wearing protective clothing often have to work in very hot climates. It isalso very dangerous because of the many anti-detection devices used in themanufacture of landmines. (See page OWS-25.)
INFORMATION ABOUT LANDMINES (CONT)
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AID WITHIN AFFECTED COUNTRIES
Support is needed for:
• mine awareness programmes in areas affected by mines.
• increased surgical care, rehabilitation and medical supplies.
• funding for mine clearance.
A number of aid agencies, non-governmental agencies and charities work incountries affected by mines with people who live there to support mine survivorsand to assist with mines clearance.
The British based Mines Advisory Group sends mine-clearance specialists to trainlocal teams of men and women in countries infested with mines, such asCambodia. They work painstakingly slowly in dangerous conditions to clear themines from the minefields. Sometimes war or conflict starts again andheartbreakingly, more mines are laid again in areas that had been cleared.
The British Red Cross are running an awareness and fund-raising campaign to drawpublic attention to the humanitarian issues surrounding anti-personnel mines andproviding support for their victims. Funds raised through the campaign are sent toprogrammes that assist communities living in mine-affected countries. British RedCross specialist staff also work with the International Committee of the Red Crosson such programmes.
The UK Working Group on Landmines consists of a large number of co-operatingorganisations. It calls for a global ban on the production, stockpiling, sale, transferand operational use of all anti-personnel mines and increased resources for mine-clearance and rehabilitation.
Landmine Survivors Network (LSN) was created by survivors of landmines accidentsfor landmine survivors and aims to provide mine victims with the rehabilitationthey need to become productive community members again. It can be contacted at1701 K Street, NW, 805, Washington DC 20006. Tel: 001-202 223 0873.Fax: 001-202 223 8298. e-mail [email protected]
INTERNATIONAL LAW AND LANDMINES
Two sources of international law currently apply to APMs:
1. Customary international law states that:
• parties to a conflict must always distinguish between civilians andcombatants where;a) civilians may not be directly attacked;b) indiscriminate attacks and the use of indiscriminate weapons are
prohibited;
• it is prohibited to use weapons which cause superfluous injury andunnecessary suffering.
INFORMATION ABOUT LANDMINES (CONT)
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2. The revised 1980 United Nations Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW)governs the use of anti-personnel landmines in international and non-international conflicts. It prohibits the use of non-detectable APMs and placescertain technical restrictions on the use of all APMs.
The International Committee of the Red Cross and others campaigning againstlandmines feel that the CCW provides insufficient protection for civilians. Theprovisions are weak and complex and they may not be implemented.
Targeting civilians by using anti-personnel mines is a violation of internationalhumanitarian law.
WHAT IS BEING DONE ABOUT LANDMINES BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY?
In November 1995 the ICRC launched an international campaign against landmines.Its aims are:
• to create a political will to stigmatise anti-personnel mines as abhorrent andunacceptable weapons;
• to mobilise public opinion in support of a ban;
• to increase assistance for mine victims;
• to increase funding for mine clearance.
Diana, Princess of Wales, was probably the most well known supporter of a worldban on anti-personnel mines. She visited Angola in January 1997 with the BritishRed Cross to see, first hand, the effects of mines on the civilian population and theorthopaedic assistance programme run by the International Red Cross on behalf ofmine victims. The photographs of her cradling child mine victims and her walkacross a minefield are especially memorable. Her involvement brought the anti-landmine campaign into the media spotlight.
She went to Bosnia in August 1997 as a guest of the Landmine Survivor’s Network.Again she brought the plight of mine-injured people to the attention of the world.
After the devastating news of her death, the UK Working Group issued a pressstatement which included:
‘Her visits to Angola and Bosnia brought the horror and reality of landmines intothe living rooms of millions of people. Her care and compassion for the plight oflandmine victims was there for all to see. In speaking out about the issue sheshowed great personal strength and bravery. Her contribution to broadening publicunderstanding of the issue has been immense. We hope that governments aroundthe world will introduce an immediate ban on all types of anti-personnel mines inmemory of Diana and the millions of victims worldwide whose plight she hashighlighted.’
INFORMATION ABOUT LANDMINES (CONT)
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THE OTTAWA PROCESS
This is a major inter-governmental initiative which was established to address thelandmines crisis in a comprehensive way.
• Many countries were dissatisfied with the failure of the Review Conference in1995-6 to improve the UN Convention on Conventional Weapons 1980.
Protocol II of this Convention regulates (ineffectively) the use (but notproduction or export etc.) of anti-personnel landmines.
• In October 1996, a Canadian initiative convened an historic conference inOttawa. The 50 governments who fully participated pledged to work together,regionally and globally, for a total ban on anti-personnel mines and to increasesignificantly the resources available for mine clearance and assistance tosurvivors. At the end the Canadian Foreign Minister boldly announced hiscountry’s willingness to hold a treaty-signing conference in December 1997.
• In late May 1997, the UK Government announced a moratorium on the use,production and export of landmines.
• In Oslo on 1st - 8th September 1997 a diplomatic conference finalised the textof the ‘Ottawa Treaty’ ready for formal signing in Ottawa on 3rd-4th December1997. At this stage 89 countries agreed the text. Only the United States did not,after its demands for major exemptions were rejected.
• Clare Short, The Secretary of State for International Development, went toCanada to sign the treaty in December 1997. The United Kingdom was oneof 122 countries who signed the treaty. (It was one of 29 former major mine-producing/exporting countries).
• The ‘Ottawa Treaty’ has to be ratified by 40 countries before it will come intoforce. Ratification means that a country includes an international treaty into thelaw of that country (national law). In the UK there will need to be an Act ofParliament to make the ‘Ottawa Treaty’ part of UK law.
• The ‘Ottawa Treaty’ will enter into force 6 months after 40 countries haveratified it.
The ‘Ottawa Treaty’ is a unique addition to international humanitarian law which:
• totally bans the production, stockpiling, use and export/transfer of APMs;
• obliges countries to clear minefields (within 10 years), destroy stockpiles (within4 years), assist mine-victims, while sharing expertise in the process, and
• report annually details of mines produced, mines exported, and progress inminefield clearance and destruction of stocks.
INFORMATION ABOUT LANDMINES (CONT)
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INFORMATION ABOUT LANDMINES (CONT)
Article 1 states:
‘Each State Party undertakes never under any circumstances:
to use anti-personnel landmines to develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile,retain or transfer to anyone, directly or indirectly, anti-personnel landmines toassist, encourage or induce, in any way, anyone to engage in any activity,prohibited to a state party under this Convention.
Each State Party undertakes to destroy or ensure the destruction of all anti-personnel landmines in accordance with the provisions of this Convention.’
NOTE: The formal title of the text of the ‘Ottawa Treaty’ signed in December 1997 is‘Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer ofAnti-Personnel Landmines and on their Destruction’.
The information on this resource sheet was drawn from:
The UK Working Group on Landmines.601 Holloway Road, London N19 4DJ. Tel: 0171 281 6073. Fax: 0171 281 8005.e-mail: [email protected]
The International Committee of the Red Cross special brochure Landmines must be stopped 1994/5and Anti-personnel Mines: An Overview 1996.
Mines Campaign Unit, International Committee of the Red Cross, 19, Avenue de la Paix, CH-1202Geneva, Switzerland.e-mail:[email protected]: 004122 730 2305 Fax: 004122 730 2250 and Web site: http://www.icrc.org
British Red Cross International Fact Sheet on Anti-personnel mines - September 1997National Headquarters, 9 Grosvenor Crescent, London SW1X 7EJTel: 0171 235 5454. Fax: 0171-823-1621
The New Internationalist September 1997Subscription enquiries, New Internationalist, Tower House, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough,Leicestershire LE16 9EF. Tel: 01858 439616. Fax: 01858 434958. E-mail: [email protected]
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WHAT YOU CAN DO
1. Find more information from some of the contacts given on the informationsheet.
2. Read newspapers to keep up to date about what is happening with thecampaign to ban landmines worldwide.
3. Raise money for one of the charities working in affected countries. Theirfundraising departments will probably be able to give you some advice.
4. Talk to people you know about your concerns and feelings about the issue.They may learn about it from you and then share your concern. You might thenwant to do something more about it.
5. Find out if there are other people local to you who are involved with thelandmines campaigns and see how you might be able to support them.
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