LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Landmines
built 185 days ago
"Landmines are blind weapons that cannot distinguish between the footfall of a soldier and that of an old woman gathering firewood. They recognize no ceasefire and, long after the fighting has stopped, they can maim or kill the children and grandchildren of the soldiers who laid them." -From Landmines, A Deadly Legacy
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Landmines are explosive devices that are designed to explode when triggered by pressure or a tripwire. These devices are typically found on or just below the surface of the ground. The purpose of mines when used by armed forces is to disable any person or vehicle that comes into contact with it by an explosion of fragments released at high speeds.
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Landmines ... have a paralyzing effect on poor communities. They cut off access to markets, schools, water and farmland. They not only terrorize, but they impede development, holding people hostage and hindering their efforts to survive and improve their lives.
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Landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) pose a substantial public health risk (1,2). Approximately 60--70 million landmines are scattered in approximately 70 countries (3), and an estimated 24,000 persons, mostly civilians, are killed or injured annually by landmines and UXO (4). In Afghanistan, approximately 5--7 million landmines are scattered throughout the country (4). During 2000--2001, Afghanistan had the highest number of reported landmine and UXO casualties in the world (5). This report presents analyses of surveillance data on landmine- and UXO-related injuries in Afghanistan during January 1997--September 2002, which indicate that the proportion of victims injured by UXO increased during this time, compared with the proportion injured by landmines. The majority (61%) of adult victims were injured by landmines, and the majority (66%) of children and adolescents were injured by UXO.
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Landmines kill 70% of their victims, about 10,000 deaths every year. Of the survivors, half are severely injured with many needing limbs amputated. Beyond the physical damage there are many other consequences of landmines. With a region or village perimeter heavily laden with landmines, access to the area by much-needed medical teams or aid workers is affected. In addition, by mining farms or water sources, the risks of malnutrition and disease often increase greatly. Landmines not only kill or maim victims; they ... affect the nearby communities.
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The HALO Trust, an American and British not-for-profit charity, specializes in the removal of landmines and unexploded ordnance from post-conflict zones. Since it began humanitarian demining in Afghanistan in 1988, it has destroyed almost two million explosive items. HALO is currently conducting humanitarian demining in Abkhazia (Georgia), Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Kosovo, Mozambique, Nagorno-Karabakh, Somaliland and Sri Lanka. HALO has ... conducted surveys and limited clearance in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chechnya (now suspended), Ethiopia, Laos, Sudan and Vietnam. Its operations have already saved lives and enabled other agencies to safely render aid. To learn more, telephone Nigel Robinson, Vice President, at (212) 581-0099, email [H]alo.usa@verizon.net; fax (212) 581-2029; or visit www.halousa.org.
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