
Mine; numerous wounds of the earth/ Jesus the healer
“این عکس یک پسر کوچک در حال بازی با گربه است”
This picture shows a little boy playing with a cat.Isa Bazyar
On the occasion of World Mine Awareness Day and Action Against Mines.
The earth also bears many wounds as a result of our wars; wounds that may take years of effort to heal on our bodies. The word “landmine” is a trigger for pain, blood, and fire. With over 100 million landmines scattered across the earth in 60 countries, victims are claimed every day among both military and non-military personnel. In order to reduce the suffering of landmine victims and raise awareness of the potential danger of this global issue, April 4th, equivalent to the 16th of Farvardin, has been designated as “The International Day of Mine Awareness and Action Against Mines” by the United Nations General Assembly.
According to international human rights organizations, the use of anti-personnel mines violates international human rights treaties and agreements. Human rights defenders and the United Nations believed that the use of mines in wars should be restricted in any way possible, which is why conventions have been adopted to ban the use of anti-personnel mines. Conventions such as the Ottawa Convention and the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) have been formed to prohibit or limit the use of certain conventional weapons, including cluster munitions, also known as the Oslo Process.
After the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of Landmines was put into effect by the United Nations in December 1997, the General Assembly of the United Nations designated April 4th as “Mine Awareness and Action Day” in December 2005. Governments and international organizations were required to create national programs to combat mines in countries where mines and explosive remnants pose a serious threat to security, health, and livelihoods, or hinder local and regional economic and social development. For the first time, governments and global organizations were obligated to provide awareness-raising programs for people at risk of mine explosions with the assistance of the United Nations and each country’s national mine action agency on this day.
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Landmines is a binding treaty that countries are obligated to comply with. The Ottawa Convention is a combined process; meaning that it is a combination of human rights and disarmament. In terms of ratification by countries and breadth, it is the most extensive human rights treaty of the United Nations, after the Commission and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It should be noted that another treaty, known as the CCW – and of course, older than the Ottawa Convention – is also famous for its prohibition of the use of landmines.
One of the 6 main principles of supporting landmine victims in global standards is the principle of education and awareness. Free emergency medical services and continued healthcare, physical rehabilitation, psychological and social support, ensuring economic activities for the affected individual, data collection, education, and prevention of risks are the six essential pillars of assistance to landmine victims.
In the section on training for mine clearance standards, known as IMAS, it is the clear responsibility of the national mine agency in each country to inform individuals at risk in contaminated areas. In the section on needs assessment and training, information must be provided to training instructors and NGOs, and in the footnotes, this law outlines the responsibility of the national mine agency towards citizens. Some aspects of these standards include: the national mine agency must ensure that the training needs for mine hazards are met through facilitation, coordination, and monitoring in accordance with international standards. An information center must be established. This database should include comprehensive information on the situation in the region, as well as information on other areas such as health and welfare, in order to make training for instructors easier.
Organizations responsible for Mine Risk Education (MRE) must comply with all of the above conditions according to AIMES standards and local standards, evaluate and assess them, and address any deficiencies in order to provide proper education and reduce casualties through proper training in an intelligence organization, collect and take action to correct and update it.
Iran, the second most landmine-affected country.
Iran is the second most landmine-affected country in the world after Egypt, with millions of contaminated hectares of land in five provinces: Khuzestan, Ilam, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, and West Azerbaijan, and over 8000 victims of mine explosions.
A 23% increase in mine explosion victims in 2016 compared to the previous year is a sign of the inadequate approach of the national mine institution towards clearing mine-infested areas in the country. According to statistics collected by the writer, 59 people were victims of mine explosions in 2016, of which 18 were killed and 41 were injured. Among these fatalities and victims, there were 8 children and 3 women. 3 smugglers or border traders were also involved in mine explosions as a result of passing through contaminated areas. (1)
The performance of the Islamic Republic and the National Mine Institution in regards to mine education.
The Islamic Republic has not yet signed the Ottawa Treaty banning the use of landmines. Iran is also a member and observer of the CCW Convention, but has not fully accepted it. According to Article 5, paragraph 2 of this convention, each member state must make every effort to identify all mined or suspected mined areas under its jurisdiction or control, and ensure that all anti-personnel mines in these areas are marked, monitored, and protected by fencing or other means until they are destroyed, in order to prevent non-combatants from entering these areas. The marking must comply with the standards set out in the Protocol on the Prohibition or Restriction of the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices, Annexed to the Convention on the Prohibition or Restriction of Certain Conventional Weapons, which may cause excessive injuries or have indiscriminate effects, dated 3 May 1996.
While there has been no clear and consistent education or marking from the Iranian National Mine Action Authority (IMMA) for the people living in contaminated areas in recent years, it has also been 4 years since the International Day of Mine Awareness in Iran has been observed in complete silence. If there was a structured and globally standardized mechanism for education, we would definitely see a decrease in the number of mine explosion victims; a mechanism that is currently strongly felt to be lacking.
On the other hand, supporting victims of landmines is a humanitarian act. Now that the government is neglecting this issue, the absence of individuals and NGOs is strongly felt. Efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of landmines must be widespread among the people so that children and all individuals at risk of landmine explosions know that it can be a nightmare for a lifetime and even a source of pain for the loved ones of the victim.
Together, let’s take action against landmines, in the hope of a clean and mine-free land for all residents.
Explanation:
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The National Mine Action Organization of Iran, known as the Mine Clearance Center, has not provided any information about the injured and killed in mine explosions – neither publicly nor in the form of an annual report. The Mine Clearance Center website has been inactive for over three years and there is no access to statistics on mine clearance and victims, which have been compiled through individual monitoring and internal sources.
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