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Red Cross/Red Crescent Mine Action Involvement
in the Middle East
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Middle East is an area significantly impacted by landmines, and
there is a great need for the spread of mine awareness in
mine-affected countries. The Red Cross and Red Crescent are hard
at work in the region, attempting to raise mine awareness among
the citizens of these nations. |
by Laurence Desvignes, ICRC
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Orthopedic Center.
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Lebanon
Over decades of conflict, thousands of
anti-personnel landmines were laid in the soil of Lebanon where, together
with untold quantities of UXO, they continue to pose a grave threat to
people’s lives and health. This threat has always been of serious
concern to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the
local authorities, and steps have been taken since 1998 to deal with the
problem. However, only since Israel’s withdrawal from southern
Lebanon, which it occupied for 22 years, has this deadly legacy of war
attracted widespread public attention, both in Lebanon and abroad.
The formerly occupied territory is one
of the most badly contaminated areas in the country. One week after the
withdrawal of Israeli forces, seven mine/UXO accidents occurred in which
five people were killed. A further 13 were injured, four of whom had to
have amputations. This alarming news prompted national and international
organizations and agencies to step up their mine/UXO-related activities,
a process in which the Lebanese Red Cross (LRC) was involved from the
start. Since June 2000, the ICRC has been helping to build up the LRC’s
capacity by training its staff and producing mine awareness materials.
The main danger for society comes from
anti-personnel mines and UXO, especially cluster-bomb submunitions,
though the threat posed by anti-tank mines, roadside bombs and
booby-traps should not be underestimated. The most severely affected
areas are those along the former front lines along the border with
Israel and in and around former military positions. Parts of the Bekaa
valley, Mount Lebanon and some areas in northern Lebanon are
contaminated as well.
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Checking medical equipment.
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Both adults and children have been
seen walking in and around military installations, sightseeing and
collecting "souvenirs." Since many of these people come from
outside the formerly occupied territory and since other parts of Lebanon
are contaminated as well, the ICRC/LRC mine awareness program must be
implemented throughout the whole country.
ICRC/LRC Awareness-Raising Program
In the summer of 2000, the ICRC
trained 12 mine awareness instructors. Their role is to train LRC
activists in turn. The 12 came from all over the country, but mainly
(seven of them) from the severely affected south: Zahrani, Nabatiye,
Sidon, Marjiyoun/Hasbaiya, Tyre and Bent- Jbail. Others came from
Machghara (in the western Bekaa Valley), Alay (Mount Lebanon), Zahle/Baalbek
(in the northern Bekaa Valley), Batroun (in northern Lebanon) and
Beirut.
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Information gathering with the
Bedouins |
During the "emergency
phase," the period following the Israeli withdrawal in 2000,
brochures, stickers and posters were distributed on the roads leading
south. It is estimated that around 200,000 people were reached in this
way.
Material was prepared for
presentations to school children, as was a training curriculum for use
in workshops to be organized for various groups. A poster and a leaflet
for children were printed in large numbers and distributed. Mine
awareness sessions were organized in summer camps, reaching a total of
1,000 children. LRC mine/UXO-awareness instructors also made 125
presentations to over 5,800 adults.
In 2001, the LRC organized a training
workshop for 15 mine/UXO-awareness activists from the Faculty of Public
Health at the Lebanese University.
The ICRC and the LRC are promoting an
integrated community-based approach to the problem, in which raising
mine/UXO awareness is linked to survey/marking/clearance operations and
humanitarian work in general. In that regard, the ICRC and the LRC are
building cooperation with mine-clearance agencies, such as the Swiss
Federation for Mine Clearance, which should, in the future, detect and
clear mines and UXO in affected areas. At the same time, ways are being
sought to link the communities concerned with humanitarian organizations
in such a way that the communities’ subsistence needs are met by the
humanitarian community, thus eliminating the motivation for risk-taking
behavior.
However, such an approach requires
that mine awareness instructors focus on adults and that information be
exchanged between the instructors and the affected communities (the
instructors drawing attention to the danger and supplying information on
clearance, while the affected communities inform them about factors such
as economic conditions that may aggravate the problem). Much remains to
be done to develop this aspect of the ICRC-supported program.
Additionally, a puppet-theatre play is
planned for the children in the affected areas. The play will be
recorded on video for use during other presentations to children.
Southern Iraq
A survey was carried out in southern
Iraq in the summer of 2001 to assess the mine/UXO threat and determine
the need to raise awareness. The mission identified the main problem as
cluster bombs and other UXO dropped during the Second Gulf War. Many
shepherds, including children, are being injured or killed since they do
not always know about the danger or do not take the necessary
precautions.
In order to respond to immediate needs
and mobilize both the local authorities and the population regarding the
dangers posed by UXO and cluster bombs, the ICRC organized four
mine/UXO-awareness days in three of the affected southern governorates
in April 2001.
Constituting the first steps in a
comprehensive mine/UXO-awareness program, each day consisted of two
plays, a lecture by civil defense personnel on the various types of
mines and UXO, first-aid training by the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, a
presentation of ICRC limb-fitting and rehabilitation work in Iraq,
videos on the mine/UXO problem, accounts by victim and speeches from the
local authorities. Some 1,700 people attended these events.
The involvement of the respective
governors, as well as of the officials from the civil defense
organization, the education and health departments, the police and the
Iraqi Red Crescent was crucial for the success of these events and for
the mobilization of the authorities regarding the UXO issue.
The civil defense organization is also involved in
clearance and awareness-raising activities, though on a limited scale
since it lacks equipment and technical support. The ICRC has asked the
authorities for permission to launch a comprehensive UXO-awareness
program in southern Iraq. It is strongly committed to developing the
activity in close cooperation with the authorities, the Iraqi Red
Crescent and other relevant partners, including the civil defense
organization.
Jordan
A mission was conducted in Jordan in
summer 2001 to determine whether mine awareness activities should be
initiated and/or supported by the delegation and how this should be
done. The Royal Corps of Engineers of the Jordan Armed Forces organized
two one-day field trips to some of the affected areas, demining
operations and cleared areas in the Jordan Valley. A series of meetings
were also held in Amman, mainly with members of the National Demining
and Rehabilitation Committee (NDC), the Jordan Red Crescent, the
Landmine Survivors Network (LSN), the Civil Defense and UNICEF.
Data on mine/UXO casualties has been
gathered by various bodies (medical facilities, the LSN, etc.), but not
on a systematic basis. As a result, there is no comprehensive figure on
the number of casualties in Jordan. Thus, it is crucial to organize a
data collection system so that the extent of the problem can be assessed
and mine-related activities can be better targeted.
The Jordan Armed Forces and the Civil
Defense have carried out mine awareness activities on an ad hoc basis
with some coordination between them, but there is no specific training
program in this area. Moreover, the approach taken and the messages
delivered have not been adapted to the various target groups (children,
farmers, shepherds, city dwellers, etc.) and geographical areas (Jordan
Valley, Syrian border, northern and southern parts of the Israeli
border) involved.
According to the results of the ICRC
assessment mission, mine awareness activities should be developed on a
limited scale according to the needs of affected communities. Possible
ICRC involvement in mine/UXO awareness activities would take the form of
support for the Jordan Red Crescent network; however, the decision
regarding ICRC involvement will depend on the situation in the region
next year and on the project proposal being prepared by the Jordan Red
Crescent.
The basic principles for ICRC support
would be as follows:
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Data on
mine/UXO casualties would be gathered at the
national level by the NDC together with other
organizations including the Jordan Red
Crescent. As it has done elsewhere, the ICRC
could assist in providing the needed training
and in promoting the use of the Information Management System for
Mine Action (IMSMA) standard form (to be adapted to local needs).
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An
assessment would be made of perceptions, attitudes and risky
behavior in affected communities in order to determine more
precisely what messages should be delivered to what target groups,
and where the message should be delivered.
The ICRC could also assist in conducting the
assessment.
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Once
staff members of the Jordan Red Crescent and
other organizations have been trained, the
idea would be to initiate local mine awareness
projects according to the needs of affected
communities (e.g., billboards for shepherds,
plays for children, leaflets or posters
specifically designed for certain areas,
etc.).
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Support
for mine awareness activities of the Jordan
Armed Forces and the Civil Defense could also
be planned, specifically with regard to the
production of materials. However, the type
of materials to be produced and the messages
to be included would also depend on the
results of the assessment (i.e., what message
for what target group?).
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Basra, Orthopedic Center
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Conclusion
ICRC is lending its support to a
number of Middle Eastern nations with the hopes of increasing mine
awareness as much as possible in the region. In addition to its country
programs, the ICRC will hold a mine-action workshop in Amman in 2002 for
all ICRC and National Society staff members involved in
mine/UXO-awareness programs worldwide. ICRC has already made a
significant impact on mine-affected countries, and hopefully it will be
able to continue making a difference in years to come.
*All photos courtesy of ICRC
Contact Information
Laurence Desvignes
ICRC
19, Avenue de la Paix
Geneva CH1202
Tel: 41 22 730 21 72
Fax: 41 22 730 27 20
E-mail: ldesvignes.GVA@icrc.org
www: http://www.icrc.org
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