Children suffer a disproportionate burden from landmines, according to the latest global casualty rates released today.
Ahead of a critical international landmine ban meeting that will see some 164 states gather in Cambodia on 25 - 29 November, the latest Landmine Monitor Report reveals that over a third of casualties (2,130 of 5,757) caused by these deadly and life-changing weapons last year were children, who have unique physiological vulnerabilities to blast injury.
Major General James Cowan (Retd.), CEO of the HALO Trust, said:
“It is appalling that so many children in conflict and post-conflict zones around the world continue to be maimed or killed by indiscriminate weapons that lay waiting in the ground, often for decades."
“This report reflects the alarming uptick in international conflicts, with 59 currently raging across the globe. The HALO Trust works in many of these conflict zones, including Ukraine as well as forgotten conflicts such as Syria and Yemen where the number of accidents involving children is particularly high. We only have a total of 100 deminers across both programmes in Syria and Yemen but with more funding we could do much more. This report must surely be a reminder of the need for states to hold firm on achieving the aims of the Landmine Ban Treaty.”
According to the report, Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine were among the countries with the highest annual casualty count.
