Posts tagged landmine survivors
at James Madison University
More photos from CISR Director Ken Rutherford’s Vietnam trip as part of CISR’s conflict survivor survey mission to adapt information management system along the lines of the Convention on the Rights and Dignity of People with Disabilities.
Landmines still extensively used in Karen State
These four villagers, including 18-year-old Saw H—-, shown here on September 24th 2007, all lost the lower sections of one leg in separate incidents when, upon stepping on landmines, the lower part of the limb was blown off. The Myanmar-manufactured M-14 landmine, which the Myanmar Army regularly deploys in civilian areas in Karen State is often not fatal to adults but severely mutilates one or both of a victim’s legs. For young children and small animals, however, the risk of death from the M-14 landmines is far greater. [Photo: KHRG]
In the eight months from August 2012 to March 2013, at least nine people were killed and at least nine injured by landmines in Karen [Kayin] State in eastern Myanmar, according to the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG).
KHRG conducted surveys in seven areas—Taninthayi, Thaton, Hpa-An, Dooplaya, Papun, Nyaunglebin and Taungoo—and found that most of the landmine victims are from Dooplaya, Papun and Nyaunglebin, said Saw Albert, field director for the KHRG.
Global Support Towards a Mine-Free World
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In the modern world today, a morally outlawed and victim activated weapon, (because no one controls the detonations), the antipersonnel landmine (AP mines) is still being used by a few selective governments and non-state armed groups. Due to indiscriminate use in the past (and present day) of landmines, thousands of people are killed or maimed. The victims include, children, civilians, aid workers, peacekeepers and soldiers.
AP mines are made of metal and plastic among other materials and contain explosives and pieces of shrapnel. During and after conflicts, these weapons can be found on roads, footpaths, farmer’s fields, forests, deserts, along borders, in and surrounding houses and schools, and in other places where people carry out their daily activities. The danger and the risk is that they can deny access to food, water, and other basic needs, and inhibit freedom of movement, limiting people’s ability to participate in education or access medical care.
Humpty Dumpty Institute Reaches Milestones for “Mushrooms with a Mission” Program in Vietnam
New York – The Humpty Dumpty Institute (HDI) is pleased to announce that the “Mushrooms with a Mission” program has recently reached several major milestones including record sales of mushrooms, a doubling in the number of participating farming families, and a tenfold increase in the program’s capacity to cultivate mushrooms. “Mushrooms with a Mission” is a joint program of HDI and Project RENEW that improves the economic and social status of disabled survivors of landmine accidents, female-headed households and ethnic groups in Vietnam’s Quang Tri province. This unique program provides communities with the tools and training necessary to grow and sell a variety of mushroom species including linh chi, wood ear, oyster and shiitake. Major funders of the program are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.
The most noteworthy milestone will be reached in June when proceeds from the sale of mushrooms and spawn are expected to exceed $50,000 for the first six months of 2013. The program’s first season producing linh chi mushrooms will generate $30,000 in sales, in addition to another $12,000 in income from the production of wood ear and oyster mushrooms. The sale of spawn (mushroom seed) to mushroom farmers outside the program is projected to net an additional $8,000 during the first half of 2013. Generating over $50,000 in revenue after only six months is a major achievement for Mushrooms with a Mission. By comparison, for all of 2012, total revenue for the program was only $22,000.
Mine Action Awareness Day Needs More Action Than Awareness
A version of this piece appeared in The Huffington Post and in The Breeze.
On April 4, advocates and observers around the world will mark another International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. Much has been accomplished since humanitarian landmine action came to the global agenda — hundreds of millions of dollars have been committed to clear millions of acres in thousands of communities. As we mark this day, it is important to reflect on the vast number of people we will never meet who are the very real beneficiaries of this effort.
Yet two countries where this day could have special meaning are closed to the global community by conflict and unrest. For conflict survivors in Burma and Syria, where landmines are still being used, April 4 will pass with little recognition and even less change. Beyond new contamination from landmines and explosive remnants of war, populations in both countries are endangered by the long legacies of conflict. The voices of survivors are a unique opportunity for development and growth.
As the survivor of a landmine accident, I can attest to the central triumph of the Antipersonnel Mine Ban Treaty (commonly called the Ottawa Convention) — above and beyond stigmatizing and eradicating AP landmines, the treaty incorporated the voice of mine victims into its requirements, guidelines, and language. Survivors were critical to driving the agenda, changing opinions, and seeing the treaty through.
When the global community met to begin the discussions that led to a similar ban on cluster munitions, survivors played an even larger role. With the banner, “Nothing about us without us,” we lobbied for increased protection of victims and their families. So it was with global discussions of landmines and cluster munitions, and so it must be for all conflicts.
This must not be another day marked by another spate of press releases — this day calls for action. The global community has the opportunity and responsibility to assist all victims of conflict. The United States, along with Burma and Syria, is not yet a State Party to the Ottawa Convention. Although the current US policy is being actively reviewed, we cannot wait for policy to drive progress. As Burma and Syria evolve, we must anticipate a day when the idea of a just and prosperous future is available not only to the abled but also the differently abled.
The landmine that took my legs was indiscriminate. It easily could have taken the legs of my Somali driver, another passerby, or a child — that an American aid worker should be injured was secondary to its function. The conflicts in Burma and Syria will be similarly callous, scarring the abled and disabled in ways we can see and ways we cannot.
As we mark another day for mine action awareness, we must be more active than aware for survivors in Burma and Syria. Before they call, we must answer and while they are yet recovering, we must hear.
Ken Rutherford, Ph.D., is Director of the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at James Madison University. He was a co-founder of the Landmine Survivors Network and was a leader in the Nobel Peace Prize-winning coalition that spearheaded the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty and the movement that led to the 2008 Cluster Munitions Treaty.
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A call to action! Help CISR support victims of conflict. Consider making a donation this April 4.
Three more days! Our program experts show their support for landmine and explosive-remnants-of-war survivors. #LendYourLeg
Where to find the (Unfiltered) Survivor Voice
A list of organizations run for and by landmine survivors. Firoz Alizada and ALSO are on here.
In the modern world of internet, telecommunications, mass media and whatnot, the ability for individuals to find platforms to express themselves is simply astonishing. However, one group I keep looking for and have some difficulty finding is landmine survivors. There are many, many landmine survivor stories available on line, but many of them are filtered through one of the many (worthy) organizations working in mine action. The survivors’ voices are selected for their ability to convey the message the mine action organization needs to communicate, often related to fund-raising. The opportunities to hear directly from survivors in an unfiltered manner are few, but notable. What follows is a non-exhaustive list of survivor voices which provides some sense of the breadth of landmine survivors who are telling their own stories, on behalf of themselves and their peers.
Ronaldo helps Afghan landmine victims
Geneva – Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo is donating €100,000 on behalf of Uefa to help rehabilitate Afghans who have lost limbs, mostly landmine victims, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday.
It is the second time that the Real Madrid and Portugal forward – who has featured a record seven times in the uefa.com user’s poll for Team of the Year – has contributed to the ICRC’s network of seven orthopedic centers in Afghanistan, it said.
“For me it’s a great honour to be able to help others, and it makes me extremely happy to do so,” said Ronaldo, who is to present the cheque before kick-off in Madrid on Wednesday night ahead of the Champion’s League match against his former team Manchester United.
Portraits of Peace: Middle school students raise landmine awareness through art
Monongalia Arts Center
Benedum Gallery
107 High Street
Morgantown, WV 26507
Jan. 11-26, 2013
Opening Public Reception
Friday, Jan. 11, 6-8 p.m.
PSALM student guides available from 6-7 p.m.
The Monongalia Arts Center in Morgantown, W.Va. presents “A Nobel Cause: Portraits of Peace”. WVCBL/PSALM students (West Virginia Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Bombs/Proud Students Against Landmines and Cluster Bombs) painted portraits of International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) campaigners, including a painting of CISR Director Ken Rutherford.
Rutherford was a cofounder of Landmine Survivors Network, which was a leader in ICBL, and spoke as a survivor advocate in the 1990s. In October 2012, he gave a speech at West Virginia University on how medical students can alleviate the negative impact of landmines.
The exhibit also features photographs that depict a timeline celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Nobel Prize-winning ICBL.
To learn more about the Campaigns to Ban Landmines and Cluster Munitions, please visit:
International Campaign to Ban Landmines: www.icbl.org
United States Campaign to Ban Landmines: www.uscbl.org
West Virginia Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Bombs: www.wvcbl.org
Monongalia Arts Center
Benedum Gallery
107 High Street
Morgantown, WV 26507
Jan. 11-26, 2013
Opening Public Reception
Friday, Jan. 11, 6-8 p.m.
PSALM student guides available from 6-7 p.m.
