07/03/2022
“If you ever come across anything suspicious like this item, please do not pick it up, contact your local law enforcement agency for assistance”
Every day, people are killed or seriously injured by activating a landmine that had not been removed after a time of conflict. Most of the time, the victims are innocent civilians living in peace. Since the creation of the Mine Ban Treaty in 1997- a global agreement to ban the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of mines- there are still roughly 50 million antipersonnel mines around the world. This is in comparison to 160 million when the treaty began. While 164 countries have signed the treaties agreement, multiple countries continue to make and transfer mines. It is thought that 30 out of the 33 countries who have not signed the agreement still stockpile landmines including Russia, Pakistan, China and India. Among these nations, it is estimated that they collectively hold 45 million landmines that could be used at any point. Perrine Benoist, Director of the Armed Violence Reduction Division at Humanity & Inclusion (HI), an organisation who help vulnerable people in situations of conflict and disaster, expressed the damaging impact that violence can have on a communities psychological, social and economic environment. “Collecting unexploded bombs or explosive remnants, aim to save lives and make communities safer,” said Perrine in a press statement. She added: “It is a large-scale problem and a major challenge for mine clearance experts.” With 2022 marking the 25th anniversary of the Mine Ban treaty, and the world working towards a Landmine Free 2025, Perrine said that the most effective way to achieve this is through humanitarian mine clearance. The latest statistics from the Landmine Monitor report, published in November 2021, show that 2020 was the sixth year running with a rising number of casualties from stepping on active mines as well as other explosive remnants of war. In 2020, 7,030 casualties of mines were reported: 2,492 were killed at 4,561 were injured. The 2020 reporting represents an increase of (%) from 5,853 casualties reported in 2019.
Photo-Source: buzz.bournemouth.ac.uk
If you find anything that appears to be an explosive device, do not touch it, leave it where it is and call the police. We will contact the appropriate agencies to properly dispose of the item.
Dear editors, Biography of a bomb is aimed at highlighting the danger caused by unexploded bombs. Moreover, the most important aspect is that we work completely non profit, raising awerness about this topic is what drives us. We apologize if we make use of pictures in yours articles, but we need them to put a context in how findings are done. We will (and we always do) cite source and author of the picture. We thank you for your comprehension
