UNIPATH STAFF
The danger of land mines and unexploded devices is particularly acute for children, who are attracted by the sometimes colorful and curious designs.
The presence of abandoned land mines and unexploded devices violates nearly all the articles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a multilateral human rights treaty that promotes children’s rights worldwide. Children have a right to life, to a safe environment in which to play, to health, clean water, sanitation and adequate education.
In July 2006, south Lebanon was bombarded in nearly 1,300 locations with more than 4 million cluster munitions, contaminating 55 square kilometers and affecting over 1 million people, or about a third of the population. The unexploded devices are a major threat to the welfare of children living there.
Through support from the Lebanon Mine Action Center (LMAC), the University of Balamand and UNICEF, children who survive mine explosions are receiving psychological support and rehabilitation.
It takes decades to clear the land mines, and protecting children from them is a major commitment for UNICEF. It works with partners to make children and families aware of the threat and enable them to live safely with the presence of land mines and other remnants of war.
Between November 2015 and March 2016, more than 240,000 girls, boys and caregivers were involved in mine awareness programs by scouts and youth associations and nongovernmental organizations.
Additionally, trained workers known as deminers, many of them women, have used hand-held metal detectors to clear hundreds of thousands of unexploded devices in south Lebanon. Despite progress, considerable areas remain contaminated. The Lebanese and international demining teams risk their lives every day.
According to the LMAC, several thousand people have been killed or injured since 1975 as a result of abandoned mines or other explosive devices. Casualties peaked in 2006, when 209 people were killed or injured between August and December. Through a comprehensive program, the number of deaths and injuries was reduced to six in 2011. Children are still affected, with 40 children under 12 years old and 75 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 killed or injured since 2006.
Sources: UNICEF, Lebanon Mine Action Center