Conclusion to Demining

“Landmines have inflicted death and enormous pain and suffering on hundreds of thousands of children over the last several decades. We must do everything in our power to protect them from these deadly weapons.” -- Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF

Recognizing the need for both restorative and preventive action, UNICEF supports the following strategy:

Promoting a ban on landmines: UNICEF supports the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), an alliance of over 1,000 non-governmental organizations. UNICEF urges that national law should support the ban and encourage governments to report progress.

Reducing injuries through awareness: Programmes to help communities and families reduce the risk of mine injuries in their daily lives are critical. Mine awareness education should always be accompanied by mine clearance and victim rehabilitation.

Supporting focused demining programmes: Programmes to clear mines from important parts of the community, such as schools, water points and medical centers, are also essential. UNICEF tries to persuade countries to assign greater resources to these clearance operations.

Rehabilitating children physically and psychosocially: Landmines also affect the psychological and social well being of their victims, especially children. Children with disabilities are often prevented from attending school and are avoided by friends and families. 

Bibliography:

"Demining Research at the University of Western Australia." Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://school.mech.uwa.edu.au/~jamest/demining/info/what-is.html>.

CARE :: Defending Dignity, Fighting Poverty. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://www.care.org/newsroom/specialreports/land_mines/facts.asp>.

"The Silent Shout." UNICEF - UNICEF Home. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://www.unicef.org/silentshout/shout1.html>.

"United Nations Global Issues." Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/demining/>.