Stepping out! Recovering from landmines (P)

Introduction Rebuilding lives Landmine clearance Education Mine Ban Treaty   Introduction Years of war and conflict in Cambodia have left parts of the countryside very dangerous to live in. Landmines, hidden just beneath the ground, can explode when stepped on or disturbed, shattering bones and causing other serious injury. With one false step, children playing or walking to school and farmers collecting water or ploughing their fields can have their lives changed forever, or be killed outright. © AusAID There are many different types of mines and other explosive devices still lying in the ground. There are no maps to show where landmines have been laid, so they remain in the ground until they are found and destroyed. This story shows how helping countries and people recover from landmine contamination takes many different forms. Rebuilding lives After months in hospital recovering from their wounds, those injured by landmines must rebuild their lives. This can take a long time as they learn to live without a limb, sight or other injury, and learn new ways of making a living. © Kevin Evans/AusAID This little girl is learning to walk with her new prosthetic leg. As she grows she will require replacement prosthesis every four to six months. She will miss school because of the time she needs to spend in hospital, and her family might struggle to pay for her care. In Cambodia people with disabilities are often shunned, so she might also have difficulty earning a living and finding a husband. © Kevin Evans/AusAID These young men have lost legs or arms in landmine explosions and are rebuilding their lives by taking part in the national volley ball competition. As they train and compete as a team, they share stories, make new friends and gain in self-confidence. © AusAID Landmine survivor Koe Kan’s prosthetic leg enables him to work in his garden and travel to market to sell his vegetables. His wife no longer has to do all the work on her own. Landmine clearance © CARE Making the land safe to use is a long, slow and expensive process. It takes about $3 to make a landmine, and about $1,000 to clear one. Villagers are trained to clear landmines. They wear protective clothing and work in small teams. They work slowly and carefully on one section of land at a time, clearing the vegetation and sweeping the area with metal detectors to find metal objects. Sometimes they use dogs to smell for explosives in plastic mines, which cannot be found with a metal detector. Areas yet to be cleared are marked with signs to warn people of the danger. © AusAID Once a mine or other dangerous object is found, it is carefully uncovered and a long fuse is attached so it can be set off safely. Education © AusAID Everyday life means families have to walk around their fields to grow their food and collect firewood and water and to travel to school and market. They may have to use land which still has landmines hidden in the ground so they need to learn about the dangers of landmines and what to do if one is discovered. Plays like this one help them remember the safety messages. Mine Ban Treaty In 1997 an international campaign led to the Mine Ban Treaty. This treaty prohibits the use of mines, the production and trade of mines and provides for mine clearance and mine survivor assistance. Australia works to support affected countries to clear mines from their land and to persuade countries not to produce landmines and to destroy any they have.