I heard a big bang and saw smoke. When the smoke cleared my right leg was gone and my left was bleeding. Kheun Sokhon, 24

Transcription

1 Curiosity kills

2 I heard a big bang and saw smoke. When the smoke cleared my right leg was gone and my left was bleeding. Kheun Sokhon, 24

3 The problem Imagine if, somewhere outside your front door, there is a powerful explosive weapon that waits patiently for you, or a member of your family, until it s disturbed. Because it s hidden from view, avoiding it is a constant game of chance. There could be one of them. There could be 100. You don t know how many there are and neither does anyone else. Every day millions of people live with this fear. And every day dozens of people die or suffer horrific injuries from abandoned weapons left behind after conflict. Landmines, grenades, missiles and cluster bombs do not discriminate between soldiers and civilians, between adults or children. These remnants of conflict destroy livelihoods and plunge families into poverty. We see farmers attempting to remove landmines from their farmland with their bare hands; children walking through minefields to get to school; parents risking death or disability in order to provide food, water or firewood for their families. Perhaps most tragically of all, we see youngsters killed by curiosity - picking up and playing with explosive weapons, mistaking them for toys. Just think: these innocent people have survived conflict, but as they try to rebuild their lives there is the ever-present threat of death and dismemberment. British charity MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is doing more than any other organisation to end the terror caused to millions by these indiscriminate weapons. Eliminating this problem is not only a concern for MAG, but for everyone who believes it is right to help the innocent victims of conflict to build peaceful and prosperous futures.

4 The solution MAG believes that everyone has the right to live in safety and without fear. Our work is entirely humanitarian; the number of weapons we destroy isn t important. What is important is where those weapons are, the number of people who will benefit from the clearance and the impact this has on people s lives. We move into conflict zones to further the road to peace and development and provide solutions where the impact of conflict is keeping communities in despair and poverty. We know that every weapon we destroy saves a life or a limb. But we also recognise the need to prevent the production of weapons in the first place. With the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), MAG helped to form the Ottawa 'mine ban' Treaty which prohibits the manufacture, distribution and use of anti-personnel mines and use of anti-personnel mines, for which MAG was made co-laureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize. Above all we work closely with people whose lives have been torn apart by war. More than 95 per cent of our global workforce is made up of local people recruited from the area of conflict. MAG employs some of the most vulnerable members of society, such as landmine survivors and widows whose husbands have died in fighting. Employing local people means skills and salaries stay within the community, providing a much-needed economic boost for some of the world s poorest people. Clearing the weapons left behind after conflict is the first step towards helping a conflict-affected community get back on its feet. Refugees or internally displaced people cannot return to their homes without safe routes to follow; families cannot rebuild their homes if unexploded bombs lie in the rubble. Furthermore, other aid agencies cannot begin to undertake their relief, reconstruction, and development efforts unless the environment is safe. For this reason, MAG is often the first in, last out of the dangerous areas in which we work.

5 Taking action CLEARING THE DANGER Locating and destroying mines, missiles and cluster bombs is painstaking, often demanding work. Manual clearance remains the most effective method, where teams of ordinary people are trained and equipped to the highest standards to transform minefields into safe land. Known for our innovation, we take the lead in developing and trialling new technologies and, where possible, use specially trained dogs to detect the smell of explosives. By having a rang of techniques at our disposal we are able to clear thoroughly, quickly and effectively. PROMOTING PEACE AND STABILITY Preventing weapons falling into the wrong hands promotes peace and stability in volatile environments. We take small arms out of circulation by destroying stockpiles of weaponry from handguns to shouldercarried arms capable of destroying aircraft. In Africa we have recruited former soldiers from opposite sides of civil wars to work together on the same Mine Action Teams. GUIDED BY THE PRIORITIES OF OTHERS MAG listens to those affected by conflict and puts their needs first. Our Community Liaison teams gain the trust and support of local people, giving us a real insight into how weapons threaten lives and hamper development. We also make sure the land we clear is put to good use by working in partnership with communities and/or other agencies, to replace bombs with homes, health centres and schools, or simply provide safe play areas for children. EDUCATING THOSE AT RISK Mine Risk Education is a key element of MAG s work. We run education programmes to alert people to the dangers of living in dangerous environments and advise on appropriate action should unexploded weapons be discovered. Communicating to children and adults about the dangers of explosive weapons undoubtedly saves lives.

6 One woman s story Many of MAG s workforce are amputees who, having recovered from landmine accidents and despite disability, have gone on to become deminers - people who locate and destroy landmines and other explosive weapons. 24 year old Kheun Sokhon is from Cambodia. This is her story: My accident happened on the second day of my new job. I had gone to Thailand to look for work because I heard many people say they could earn more than I earned in Cambodia. My job there was to clear branches of Tangaen trees so they grow more fruits. On the first day I returned home with 100 Baht. We were so happy that my mother also decided to go with me the next day. On the second day, my job was to turn on the taps to water all the trees in the farm while my mother worked to clear branches. It was nearly 3 o'clock and almost finish time. As she headed towards the taps, Sokhon heard a big bang and saw the smoke, but didn't realise what had happened. ÒI thought, ÔI am going to ask someone what would happen if I had stepped on a landmine but when the smoke cleared my right leg was gone and my left was bleeding. She screamed for help. A man carried me to the truck and some people called my mother. When she came and saw me she was so shocked she collapsed. After the accident, Sokhon returned to Cambodia. Unable to work her financial situation was desperate. Landmine victims have more than the economic aspects of their situation to consider as the psychological and emotional damage is often overwhelming. The accident put enormous strain on Sokhon s marriage and, months later, her relationship broke down. She was two months pregnant when her husband left. MAG recognised Sokhon s vulnerable situation and encouraged her to apply to become a deminer, where she would undertake training to clear landmines and unexploded bombs. As a landmine survivor, Sokhon was understandably nervous at the prospect of clearing mines but the training dispelled her fears. Sokhon started work as a deminer on August 17, The training course helped to build my confidence, she says. Now I know how to clear mines and unexploded bombs. I believe I will do my job well. By the end of January 2007 Sokhon had found 20 anti-personnel mines.

7 Where MAG works ANGOLA Landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance and Mine Risk Education helps former refugees, internally displaced people and vulnerable rural communities. CAMBODIA Clearing minefields helps the most at risk households in mine-affected communities who need agricultural land, schools, health clinics and temple construction, road access and clean water sources. CYPRUS MAG provides Quality Assurance on behalf of the UN to check the standards of landmine clearance undertaken by 3rd party organisations. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO Clearing landmines and stockpiles of small arms, means that the country s poorest communities can now live their lives in safety, while dangerous weapons are prevented from falling into the wrong hands and jeopardising the fragile peace. IRAQ Several million square metres of land has been freed up for agriculture and redevelopment, while nearly two million dangerous items have been removed and destroyed since the conflict in NEPAL MAG is involved in the establishment of a UN Mine Action Unit, providing specialist technical advice on improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD). LAO PDR MAG clears and destroys, bombs, mortars, rockets and cluster munitions left over from the conflicts of the late 1960s and early 1970s, making agricultural land, schools and villages safe for communities most at risk. SOMALIA MAG is currently delivering a six month training programme for the police force on safe disposal of explosive ordnance. SRI LANKA MAG helps the communities based in and returning to the north and east, through Mine Risk Education and landmine clearance to provide safe land for local and international NGOs to reconstruct affected areas. SUDAN Mine Risk Education helps refugees and internally displaced people travel and return home in safety, whilst clearance teams destroy caches of small arms and light weapons, preventing them being used to fuel other conflicts. LEBANON Following the recent conflict MAG was the first humanitarian agency on the ground destroying cluster munitions enabling people to return home. More than two million square metres of land has been cleared for agriculture and development. VIETNAM Poor and vulnerable rural communities benefit from UXO clearance, which provides them with land for resettlement and agricultural development.

8 Where MAG works

9 We can t do it alone If what you ve read in this booklet makes you want to do something to help, please make a donation to MAG today. MAG relies entirely on contributions and all donations, of all sizes, are highly valued and will be very well spent.* Just 15 could clear 10 square metres of land which will help some of the most vulnerable and impoverished people in the world look forward to safer, more prosperous futures. Please give what you can. To make a donation, please go to our website, or send a cheque payable to MAG to 47 Newton Street, Manchester, M1 1FT, UK. Thank you. *More than 90p in every pound MAG receives is spent helping to destroy remnants of conflict.

10 I have been working with MAG for one and a half years. The first time I found a mine I was both happy and scared, but after a while it's not scary any more. I believe that I have helped many people and I feel great about this, it s really good work. Ibrahim Sultan, deminer, Lebanon When they [the team] find an item of UXO and it's destroyed, it's very satisfying to know that a life or limb has been saved. Dalivan Saysamphanh, team leader, Laos I have worked with MAG since 1996 and the thrill of seeing people use the land we have cleared is the same now as it was then. Simao Adriano, team leader, Angola Since working with MAG, my living conditions have improved, my children can go to school and I have the respect of others. Bou Chom, Mine Action Team supervisor and landmine survivor, Cambodia MAG (Mines Advisory Group) UK registered charity Newton Street, Manchester, M1 1FT, UK. Telephone: +44 (0) maguk@mag.org.uk website: