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Landmine Facts

Landmines are indiscriminate killers that target civilians long after a conflict has ended.

At the beginning of the 20^th century, nearly 80 per cent of landmine victims were military personnel. Today, over 80 per cent of landmine victims are civilians.

Most kinds of landmines last forever. Mines laid during WWII are still killing and maiming civilians.

There are 82 mine-affected countries around the world. No mine clearance was recorded in 16 of the affected countries and no mine risk education activities were recorded in 25 countries.

From 2002 through to June 2003, there were new landmine casualties reported in 65 countries. Forty-one of these countries were not at war.

UNICEF estimates that 30-40 % of all landmine victims are children under the age of 15. Mines kill and mutilate 8,000 to 10,000 children each year.

Landmines affect both men and women but studies show that women suffer more when they become victims of landmines. Fewer women receive mobility aids, such as artificial limbs, and they may receive less attention right after the landmine blast. As a result, the fatality rate is higher for females (43%) than for males (29%).

Landmines set in motion a series of events that leads to environmental damage in the forms of soil degradation, deforestation, pollution of water resources with heavy metals and altering entire species’ populations through degrading habitats and altering food chains.

Landmines affect every aspect of human life including the ability for refugees to return to their homes. A report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees published in 1997 stated that 13.2 million refugees, 4.9 million internally displaced people and 3.3 million returnees were at risk from landmines.