Landmine Awareness Day 2012 You will have seen the video about Landmine Awareness Day in Columbia but did you know that landmines are closer than you think? Right next door in fact, in our neighbouring countries.

Where are the mines? The biggest concentration of mines are in Myanmar, Cambodia and, to a lesser extent, Vietnam. Laos has a problem with unexploded cluster bombs.

What is a landmine? A landmine is an explosive device that is buried near the ground surface. It is triggered by stepping on it. It can kill and maim.

Why are they a problem? Even though the wars are over, such as in Cambodia and Vietnam, many mines are still in the ground and can still be set off. These are old mines defused and collected from old war zones.

Who is at risk ? In these countries, poor people who need to use the land where mines are buried but children are at great risk also.

Why children? As horrible as it may sound, in some very poor countries, children are paid to retrieve landmines for sale. A child’s size means they cannot always see the mine from above. Some landmines look like toys or are brightly coloured and easy to pick up. Children have often lived among the mines for so long they forget about the danger. Children are keen to explore and may stray from safe routes away from mines. Children may not be able to understand or read warning signs. Children often have to work in the fields or forests for their family where the mines are most common.

What happens to them? 85% of children will die from a landmine explosion before they get to the hospital. If the children are not killed by the mine, their injuries will be more extensive because of their size. Child mine survivors will suffer from great trauma. They may not be able to find jobs when they get older. They have little chance of going to school, of receiving counselling or learning skills. They will need constant care for their injuries – as their bones develop they may need many operations. Those living in rural areas may not get the medical attention they need. Life is hard for a child mine victim.

What are the figures? In Cambodia, there have been 63,500 mine casualties since Cambodia has 25,000 amputees, the largest per capita figure in the world. Although many of the mines have been cleared, there were still 286 casualties last year.

What are the figures? Myanmar is said to be the only government in the world still using landmines in its fight against rebel groups. It has one of the highest landmine casualty rates in the world. In the last ten years, it has seen 2,800 victims. Last year there were 274 victims.

Are there landmines in Thailand? Yes, mainly on the borders with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia. 100 people a year are killed or maimed by landmines. The majority of these accidents occur because a person is forced to travel into a well-known, mine-infested area out of basic survival needs.

What are cluster bombs? A cluster bomb is a large bomb that explodes on hitting the ground sending out flying ‘clusters’ of small bomblets, about the size of tennis balls. They are mostly found in northern Laos, where they kill or maim small children every year.

What can be done? There are mine clearance groups working in these countries to make the situation safer. Laws are in existence to ban the use of landmines and cluster bombs. There are campaigns and posters warning people about the dangers of landmines.

What can we do? At the moment, very little, but at least you understand a little more about the situation and may like to talk about it with your parents. As you grow older you can try to make sure that landmines and cluster bombs are never used again.