Living among Landmines

Written by Oliver Brooks, Youth Volunteer Field Reporter

August 10, 2001 — Imagine trying to get through each day with missing limbs, eyesight or hearing. Daily activities that we all take for granted would no longer be possible. Try to visualize riding a bike without a leg, driving a car without being able to see, or watching television unable to hear it. What kind of life would that be?

Around the world, thousands upon thousands of people battle with the mental and physical effects caused by landmines. The most dangerous characteristic of landmines is that they are totally indiscriminate. Landmines cannot be programmed to target soldiers, civilians, children, the elderly, men or women - they can cause harm to anyone at anytime.

Mozambique, a poor country on the eastern coast of Africa, is plagued by the continuous threat of landmines. Every day, at least ten people are injured or killed by them. More than 120,000 people have fallen victim to landmines left over from Mozambique's civil war that ended in the early 1990s. Mozambique's residents risk death whenever they walk out of their homes, because an estimated 2 million mines are still buried around roads, bridges, water sources, and villages.

Recent flooding in Mozambique has only added to the problem, as most of the work deminers have accomplished in the past few months has literally been washed away. All records of the marked, mapped, cleared and surveyed areas for landmines are all irrelevant now. The rushing water shifted most of the mines to different locations. While deminers and volunteers had not finished the clearing of landmines, the task has grown even more daunting after this disaster.

In this time of great need in Mozambique, a special group of dedicated Red Cross youth realizes the dangers of landmines in their country. Throughout the country, some 300 Mozambican youth volunteers are teaching residents how to live as safely as possible in the dangerous mined zones. These youth organize themselves into small groups across the country to provide many services to victims who already suffer from mine-related injuries. They also help in the clearing of mined land. The Red Cross youth in Mozambique spread information on mines, collect data on suspected mine areas, provide first aid to victims and support accident survivors

The campaign to educate people in Mozambique is just one of many efforts by the Red Cross to cope with landmines. These deadly landmines were unearthed in Central America.

The youth volunteers implement several programs to aid those in the areas most affected by landmines. Using theater, reading and discussions, the youth inform the locals of the many dangers associated with landmines. They also erect billboards around mined lands and distribute leaflets and posters to increase awareness.

Since 1997, more progress has been made involving the struggle with landmines in Mozambique and other parts of the world. One major step in this progress was the adoption of the international Mine Ban Treaty. This treaty basically bans the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of antipersonnel landmines. To date, 117 countries (not including the United States) have ratified the agreement and 140 have signed it. Since the treaty became law, countries can no longer sign — they must accede. For the countries that have already signed, they must now ratify it in order to be fully bound by all the ban provisions.

Continued attention will hopefully educate and inform the public of the dangers and harmful effects and gradually eradicate landmines for years to come.

Related articles:

• Landmines in Africa (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies)
• Red Cross Players Bring Lessons, Laughs to Flood-Stricken Mozambique (DisasterRelief.org, October 27, 2000)