1. Forgotten Victims of Conflict
Raise Your Voice
for the
Forgotten Victims of Conflict
Welcome today to our [Xx] event, part of Humanity & Inclusion’s Forgotten 10 Challenge. This challenge represents 10 days of action for the victims of conflict, including the victims of bombings, who would otherwise be forgotten.
Every year, schools and community groups take action around the UK as part of the Forgotten 10 Challenge.
So today, in this presentation, we are going to look at what explosive weapons are and how they impact innocent civilians.
Date / type of activity to be adapted by each group

2. The forgotten victims of conflict
Ahlam’s story:
Innocent civilians like Ahlam, who was hit by shrapnel during a bombing in Syria.
Sadly the little girl's leg had to be amputated to save her life.
Humanity & Inclusion’s team found Ahlam in Lebanon and have since fitted her with an artificial limb.
The joyful little girl is now learning to walk again.
But now, before looking at the human impact, let’s explore briefly what explosive weapons are.
© Elias Saade/HI

3. What are explosive weapons?
© Tom Shelton/Humanity & Inclusion
But now let’s look at what explosive weapons are.
Explosive weapons include a variety of munitions such as mortars, rockets, artillery shells, air-dropped bombs and improvised explosive devices (IED). Landmines and cluster munitions are also explosive weapons, both of which are banned by international treaties.
The impact Explosive weapons destroy lives - they cause serious injuries and amputations, leading to disabilities and deep psychological trauma. They destroy homes, schools, and hospitals.
[More information and statistics are available in our factsheets – please if you would like some more copies].
Photo: Buildings in Shejaiya, Gaza, an area largely destroyed during Operation Protective Edge in summer The area is heavily contaminated with unexploded weapons and rubble clearance is therefore a slow process. Many people are still living amongst the rubble.
Explosive weapons include a variety of munitions such as mortars, rockets, artillery shells, air-dropped bombs and improvised explosive devices (IED). Landmines and cluster munitions are also explosive weapons which have been banned by international treaties.

4. Artillery rockets Multiple rockets fired in a matter of seconds©
Multiple rockets fired in a matter of seconds
Unguided and cannot accurately target
Devastating impact over a wide area
Three examples of explosive weapons are: Artillery rockets, landmines and cluster bombs.
Image (left): A BM 21 Grad rocket weapons system.
A BM-21 Grad rocket system can fire a barrage of up to 40 rockets in the space of a few seconds.
Rocket artillery is generally inaccurate indirect fire.
These weapons have a very wide area of affect (approximately a football field) and cause considerable devastation, particularly when used in populated areas.
Possible impact on an area (red dots) when a Grad Rocket targets the building with the blue flag

5. Weapons like the M-1943 Mortar, which fires 15 mortars in just 1 second have contributed to a massive increase in the number of civilians killed by explosive weapon.
Photo: ©HI

6. The consequences of bombings.
The use of explosive weapons in populated areas has a devastating impact on civilians:
Injuries graphic
Bombing kills people and causes serious injuries, resulting in long-term suffering.
In 2017, nearly 32,000 civilians were killed or injured by explosive weapons. The number of civilians killed has nearly doubled since 2011.
Bombing causes severe psychological trauma.
Bombing forces people to flee their homes.
Bombing destroys vital infrastructure like homes, schools, hospitals, and roads, preventing every aspect of social and economic life.
Bombing pollutes entire areas with explosive remnants of war, making it dangerous for people to return home once a conflict has ended.

7. Landmines Explosive devices designed to injure or kill people
©Humanity & Inclusion
© John Rodsted
Images: Left - A landmine hidden on the ground in Afghanistan. Right – a landmine in Kosovo.
Antipersonnel landmines are explosive devices designed to injure or kill people. They come in many different shapes and sizes.
They are buried in the ground or placed on or near the ground, just as hidden in bushes and lying among crop. They can lie hidden for years or even decades until a person or an animal sets them off.
Explosive devices designed to injure or kill people
Set off by the victims themselves
Remain hidden for years

8. Casualties were identified in 52 states and four other areas in 2016, of which 35 are States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty.
the Landmine Monitor 2017 report has revealed a dramatic increase in the annual number of new casualties of mines and explosive remnants of war for the third year running. At least 8,605 people were killed or injured by these weapons in 2016, compared with 3,450 in This 150% increase is due to particularly heavy casualty rates in conflict zones in Afghanistan, Libya, Ukraine and Yemen.
To coincide with a Meeting of States Parties to the Ottawa Treaty, which bans the use of anti-personnel mines, from 18 to 22 December in Vienna, Austria, Humanity & Inclusion is calling on States to enforce international humanitarian law and to put pressure on belligerent parties to end the use of these barbaric weapons.
The report reveals that the number of new casualties of anti-personnel mines - factory-made or improvised - and explosive remnants of war increased by almost 25% in one year, rising from 6,967 casualties in 2015 to 8,605 casualties in This is the largest number of casualties recorded by the Landmine Monitor since the publication of its first annual report in 2000.
The number of new casualties increased for the third year running after 15 years of almost steady decline.
The vast majority of people killed by anti-personnel mines are civilians: 78% of casualties were civilians in 2016, of whom 42% were children. The Landmine Monitor recorded the highest number of child casualties of these weapons and casualties of improvised mines (explosive devices produced by belligerent parties acting as anti-personnel mines) since the publication of the first annual report in 2000.
Mine casualties were recorded in 56 States and territories around the world. In 2016, the majority of new casualties of anti-personnel mines - factory-made or improvised – and explosive remnants of war were recorded in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen.
The Landmine Monitor confirmed new uses of anti-personnel mines by government forces in Myanmar and Syria between October 2016 and October 2017.
A total of 61 States and territories have been contaminated by mines and explosive remnants of war around the world.
Humanity & Inclusion is calling on States to support mine risk education, mine clearance and victim assistance programmes, which are absolutely necessary for these countries and territories.
More information can be found here:

9. Cluster bombs Scatter hundreds of bomblets over a large area.
Blast out hundreds of metal fragments.
5-40% bomblets fail to detonate, posting a lasting threat to civilians.
Cluster bombs (also known as cluster munitions) are large canisters that can be dropped from the air or fired from the ground. Each bomb contains between a dozen and several hundred smaller bomblets.
The canister opens in mid-air and scatters bomblets over a wide area, that can be as big as several football fields. When these bomblets explode, they fire hundreds of fragments of metal that travel at the speed of a bullet. Anybody within the area, military or civilian, is very likely to be killed or seriously injured.
But 5% to 40% of cluster bomblets fail to explode on impact. They can land anywhere, and may remain undiscovered for decades. They have been found on rooftops, hanging from trees or telephone cables, in parks and playgrounds. Unexploded bomblets pose a lasting threat to civilians, long after a conflict is over.
Unlike landmines, which are designed to maim rather than kill, cluster bombs are much more likely to kill and to cause multiple casualties. Even if a victim lives they will suffer serious injuries such as loss of limbs, burns, ruptured ear drums, blindness and internal complications.
Lebanon
© Z. Johnson/HI

10. Where have landmines been used? Where have landmines and cluster
munitions been used?
Landmines: 57 countries such as Senegal, Libya, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Cambodia and Angola
Landmines: 60 states and 4 disputed territories have been confirmed or are believed to be affected. (Landmine Monitor 2016)
Cluster munitions: 26 countries and 3 disputed territories have been affected by the presence of unexploded cluster bombs. (Cluster Munition Monitor 2016). There has been a systematic and massive use of cluster munitions in recent conflicts: Syria, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, southern Lebanon, Libya.
Since July new use of cluster munitions has been recorded in Syria and Yemen.
For a complete list of countries visit
© Gaspard Durosselle/Humanity & Inclusion
Cluster munitions: 24 countries such as Iraq, Syria, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Laos and Libya

11. The impact of explosive weapons
© Brice Blondell/HI
Seven-year-old Ammar was sheltering at home during a bombing. His home was hit by a shell and his leg was so badly injured that it needed to be amputated. Tragically, three of Ammar’s cousins were killed in the bombing.
Explosive weapons pose a serious threat during a conflict. But the danger doesn’t stop there as, after a conflict, civilians who return to look for family and friends, collect belongings, or move back into their homes, are at risk from devices that did not explode on impact.
Many people are injured going about their daily activities like farming, collecting water or firewood, or travelling.
The interesting shape, size and sometimes bright colour make weapons especially attractive to children, who come across cluster bombs, pick them up and play with them, unaware of the danger.
Explosive weapons include a variety of munitions such as mortars, rockets, artillery shells, air-dropped bombs and improvised explosive devices (IED). Landmines and cluster munitions are also explosive weapons, both of which are banned by international treaties.
These weapons use blast and fragmentation to kill and injure people in the area around the point of detonation. Explosive weapons with wide-area effects can have a large destructive radius and inaccurate delivery systems, making them inherently prone to causing harm to civilians.
Explosive weapons destroy lives - they cause serious injuries and amputations, leading to disabilities and deep psychological trauma. They destroy homes, schools, and hospitals.
After a conflict, civilians who return to look for family and friends, collect belongings, or move back into their homes, are at risk from devices that did not explode on impact, known as explosive remnants of war (ERW).
As well as the danger to the civilian population, ERW are a barrier to reconstruction and economic activity, plunging communities into further poverty.
Impact
In 2017, at least 42,972 people were killed or injured by explosive weapons (including 31,904 civilians). When explosive weapons are used in populated areas, 92% of victims are civilians saw the highest number of civilian deaths since monitoring began in This constituted a 38% increase compared to the previous year, and a 165% increase from 2011.
45% of civilian victims were killed or injured in air-strikes.
The excessive or indiscriminate use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated areas is a violation of International Humanitarian Law. Urgent action is needed to protect civilians!
The use of explosive weaponsIn 2017 Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Pakistan saw the highest number ofcivilian deaths and injuries resulting from the use of explosive weapons. Incidentswere recorded in 59 countries and territories around the world.
Figures from Action on Armed Violence and The Monitor
31,904 civilians were killed or injured by explosive weapons in 2017.
When explosive weapons are used in towns and cities 92% of the victims are civilians.

12. 24,300 people killed or injured in Afghanistan
Wali’s story
24,300 people killed or injured in Afghanistan
12-year-old Wali was tending his family’s flock of sheep when he stepped on a landmine and was knocked unconscious. His father found him late in the day and stayed with him all night until they could safely reach a hospital.
Sadly the young teenager lost his left leg but with the support of Humanity & Inclusion’s rehabilitation team he was walking again four months later.
In Afghanistan, over 1,200 people were killed or injured by landmines and unexploded bombs in 2014.
Data collected since 1967 collected by the Mine Action Coordination Centre of Afghanistan (MACCA) found that 24,300 people have been killed or injured in Afghanistan by landmines and unexploded bombs.
(For information)
Since 1987 Humanity & Inclusion have worked in Afghanistan since 1987 to help innocent victims like 12-year-old Wali. We fit amputees with artificial limbs and provide rehabilitation care.
© HI

13. Explosive weapons use in Syria between Dec 2012 and March 2015
A focus on Syria
77,645 incidents involving explosive weapons between December 2012 and March 2015.
75% of incidents in densely populated areas.
5.1 million people, including 2.2 million children, living in areas highly affected by use of explosive weapons.
© Humanity & Inclusion
Figures and map taken from Humanity & Inclusion’s 2015 report: ‘The use of explosive weapons in Syria - A time bomb in the making. Analysis of weapons contamination in Syria’.
Explosive weapons use in Syria between Dec 2012 and March 2015

14. In Syria research by Humanity & Inclusion shows that 53% of injured related to the crisis are from explosive weapons – 15% of victims had to undergo amputation.
Roqaya’s story
“My mum and I were at home, talking on the phone, when a shell exploded nearby”, she says quietly.
“Mum was killed and I was injured”.
“I lost consciousness, and when I woke up I was in hospital here in Jordan.”
Roqaya’s matter-of-fact recounting of what happened makes it sound ordinary. She’d actually been very seriously wounded. Both of her legs had to be amputated at the knee. She didn’t know if she’d ever be able to walk again. She was evacuated across the nearby border into northern Jordan.
Not long after she‘d had initial treatment in a Jordan hospital, she was referred to Humanity & Inclusion
, who with the support of UKAid provided her with essential rehabilitation care and prosthesis.
Watch a short video about Roqaya:
© Abbie Trayler-Smith/Panos for DFID
Roqaya, 14, Jordan

15. Impact on local communities
Survivors
Survivors may be excluded from their community, because of discrimination against people with disabilities.
This means they often struggle to play an active role in society and may find it hard to attend school, find a job or get married.
Survivors also find it hard to earn a living usually living a whole family facing poverty. Relatives may have to stop working to look after an injured family member.
They may also have psychological problems as a result their accident and find it hard to get used to living with their disability.
Local communities
The whole community lives with the threat of accidents.
People cannot carry out their normal daily activities. It can be dangerous for them to use their fields, wells, forests, and roads, which they rely on to survive. Children can not play freely outside.
This can make it difficult for people to grow food (to eat or sell), collect water of firewood, or travel to school or hospital. Sometimes communities have to choose between starvation or risking their lives by cultivating the land.
Survivors often struggle to take part in society or earn a living.
The whole community lives with the threat of accidents happening.
Dangerous to use fields, wells and roads or grow food, collect water or go to school.
© John Vink / Magnum

16. Helping survivors recover from their injuries
Rehabilitation
© C. Herrmann/Humanity & Inclusion
Image: A landmine victim learning to use her artificial leg at a Humanity & Inclusion rehabilitation centre in Cambodia
For survivors of landmine or cluster bomb accidents, the road to recovery is long: they need immediate medical care, followed by artificial limb fitting, physical rehabilitation, and psychological support.
Finding their place in the community again is also difficult – they may need support to be included in school or work. They may also need help from local organisations to make sure that their rights are recognised and protected.
Helping survivors recover from their injuries

17. Clearing unexploded weapons
Demining
© Stuart Freedman/Humanity & Inclusion
Image: A deminer at work clearing cluster bombs in an orange grove, Lebanon
Demining is the only way by which threatened communities can go back to living a normal life.
Demining involves carrying out technical surveys, producing mine location maps, securing and marking minefields, finding and destroying mines and then finally preparing the land so that people can start using it again.
After the area has been cleared, people can return to their homes and rebuild their social and working lives, without fear of being blown up by a hidden device.
In the last decade nearly 2,000 square kilometres of land has been released through clearance or survey. Since the Mine Ban Treaty came into force in 1999 a total of 88 States Parties have completed the destruction of their stockpile, destroying more than 48 million mines.
Clearing unexploded weapons

18. Preventing accidents by teaching about the risks
Raising awareness
Image: A leaflet used to teach communities in Angola about the risks from landmines
Knowing how to recognise explosive devices like landmines and cluster munitions, and how to behave in a life-threatening situation can prevent accidents and save lives.
By teaching people about the risks, they can keep themselves safe and help reduce the number of victims.
(For information)
Risk education includes:
Collecting data on accidents and victims of landmines and unexploded weapons in order to identify at-risk populations and create appropriate prevention messages.
Educating and mobilising local populations through information and training campaigns, with the active involvement of local networks (e.g. traditional and religious authorities, local and national administrations).
Educating and mobilising children via the school system or other educational networks by developing teaching materials, training courses and specific activities.
© Humanity & Inclusion
Preventing accidents by teaching about the risks

19. Global campaigning
© Mette Eliseussen
Campaigning by ordinary people around the world is an important way to change things and to make governments take action.
Since 1992, millions of citizens have been campaigning against landmines. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) founded by Humanity & Inclusion and five other NGOs had a big impact. It led to the signing of the Mine Ban Treaty in December 1997, and the campaign was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize the same year.
A campaign against cluster bombs led to the Convention on Cluster Munitions being signed in December 2008.
Both these treaties have been a great success and many countries signed them, including the UK. As a result, many lives have been saved.

20. Your turn to act – Write to Your MP
© E. Fourt/Humanity & Inclusion
© Sarah Pierre/Humanity & Inclusion
So now is time to achieve the same for explosive weapons!
Every year, tens of thousands of civilians, including children like Malak (in this photo), are killed and injured by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas like towns and cities. A shocking 92% of the victims of these attacks are innocent civilians.
Sadly, the use of explosive weapons in populated areas is all too common in ongoing conflicts, including in Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and Ukraine. In Syria alone, more than 2.2 million children are at risk, living in fear of bombing attacks and unexploded weapons left behind like deadly buried treasure.
Urgent action is needed to protect civilians! 
Please write to your MP to demand justice for children like Malak and her family.
• You can sign the petition sheets located… [e.g. on the campaign stall at the back of the classroom]
• Online at bit.ly/StopBombingCivilians-HIUK
[Contact and we will send our ‘Write to Your MP Pack’ , a petition pack including petition sheets.
Your turn to act – Write to Your MP

21. Thank you! www.humanity-inclusion.org.uk/forgotten10
© Sarah Pierre/Humanity & Inclusion
Photo: 14-year-old Firas had just returned home from school when he was hit by a shelling.
Thanks to supporters like your people like Firas are receiving the vital support they need to transform their lives. Let’s take action today to ensure that injured, disabled and other vulnerable people are not forgotten.
Other resources available include:
Syria’s Young Survivors – Poster set with activity booklet
Playlist of short videos -
Factsheets
‘Write To Your MP Pack’
‘Media Pack’
Campaign and fundraising materials
Contact: