Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Telling their stories


"Landmines can't tell the difference between the sandal of a child or the footfall of a soldier. They are indiscriminate and inhumane weapons. Like poison gas, they are beyond the pale and should be delegated to the dustbin of history.

The Mine Ban Treaty, with 150 members, is the most comprehensive strategy to eliminate the scourge of landmines. It calls for a complete ban on the production, stockpile, export and use of anti-personnel mines. Since we negotiated the treaty ten years ago, we shut down the trade in landmines. More mines are coming out of the ground than going in the ground. Countries have destroyed more than 50 million mines from their stockpiles. Casualty rates have decreased from over 26,000 per year--a victim every 22 minutes--to fewer than 10,000 today."



In the last ten years, through hard work and dedication non profit organizations have made huge changes. This is a cause worth fighting for. This is a cause where our support, our voices, and our encouragement can make a difference. I can share with you the photos I have taken, what I have seen , and what I have learned about landmines. I feel it is important to speak for all of the people whose voices can't be heard. Thank you for listening!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It sounds like steps are being taken in many areas.

If the US refuses to ban land mines will they agree to certain restrictions (especially in number and placement)?

-AO

Anonymous said...

Holy cow. 80% of the landmine victims are innocent civilians? I can't believe we would even attempt to justify using a weapon that is that likely to be used inproperly. Good argument on Jerry White's part- landmines DON'T discriminate. I'd never thought of it that way before, but that is frighteningly accurate.