Mine Action

Landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) have a devastating humanitarian impact on civilian communities, both during and after conflict. Many communities continue to suffer from landmine and ERW contamination for decades after conflict has ended.

The Facts about Mines and ERW

• Eighty-two countries are currently contaminated by landmines and ERW. Those worst affected include Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia, Cambodia, Eritrea, Iraq, Lao PDR, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Sudan.
• Landmines and ERW cause death and injury to people attempting to carry out their daily lives. Mine contamination prevents communities from accessing vital resources such as water sources, farming land, health care and education.
• Movement is often restricted to such an extent that rural communities become isolated, preventing post-conflict reconstruction.
• Each year, between 15,000 and 20,000 people are injured or die as a result of landmines and ERW - approximately 1,500 a month, or 40 a day.
• The injuries sustained by mine accidents are severe, including destroyed limbs, shrapnel wounds, blindness and burns.

Cluster munitions are of particular concern to the well-being of civilians in post-conflict zones. From the Vietnam War to the recent conflict in Lebanon, the use of cluster munitions has resulted in immediate and longer-term civilian deaths and suffering, and constrained development, particularly poverty reduction efforts.

What is Mine Action?

Mine Action refers to the global efforts being undertaken to eliminate the effects of landmines and ERW. The Five Pillars of Humanitarian Mine Action are:

• Mine Risk Education (MRE);
• Humanitarian Demining;
• Survivor Assistance;
• Stockpile destruction; and
• Advocacy.

The most effective way to make our world safe from landmines and ERW is to prevent their production and use. Yet landmines and ERW continue to be a commonly used weapon of war.

Why Mine Action

Landmines and other ERW have both short- and long-term impacts.  During the immediate post-conflict period there is a need to prevent mine-related incidents among refugees and displaced people making the dangerous journey home.

Later, the focus turns to development assistance through integrated mine action programs that aim to improve the socio-economic situation of mine affected communities through the integration of Mine Action into broader development programs. Landmines are often an underlying cause of poverty, and must be addressed in order to achieve the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals.

Austcare's Response

Mine Action has been a core aspect of Austcare's work since 1989, with projects in Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Mozambique, and on the Thai-Burma border. Austcare's Mine Action Strategy for 2007-2010 can be dowloaded here.

Austcare's Mine Action Programs include:

• Mine clearance activities and mine risk education aimed at reducing the risk of landmines and ERW in emergencies and immediate post-conflict situations;          
• Community Development: Once the mines and ERW have been removed from the ground, communities need help to rebuild and assistance about how best they can use the land. Our programs focus on reducing poverty and improving self-reliance by helping establish livelihoods for communities affected by landmines;         
• Responding to individual and community needs of mine survivors;        
• Advocating for the elimination of mines and ERW;        
• Undertaking research to generate results from knowledge and experience gained through our work; and         
• Campaigning to raise awareness of the key issues. 

Our Mine Action Campaign

Within Australia, Austcare is at the forefront of Mine Action.  Our program seeks to harness the ongoing commitment of the Australian Government, as well as the public.

As part of our Playing Fields Not Minefields campaign Austcare runs events during Landmine Action Week in April - a joint initiative between Austcare and the Australian Network to Ban Landmines (ANBL) - to raise awareness about the issues surrounding landmines.

Austcare's Ambassadors for Mine Action

Austcare's Ambassadors for Mine Action assist Austcare to increase the awareness of the humanitarian impact of landmines and ERW at the community level and advocate at the government level.

Ian Mansfield has extensive experience working in Mine Action with the United Nations. He is currently Operations Director at the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD).

John Rodsted is an Australian freelance photographer whose career spans 25 years. He has witnessed first-hand the devastation of landmines.

Austcare's Cluster Munitions Position Statement

Read more about Austcare's position on Cluster Munitions.

Research and Development

Links to Reports

• Austcare, Integrated Mine Action: Lessons and Recommendations from Austcare's Program in Cambodia, January 2007.
• Austcare and Standing Tall Australia, Landmine Victim Assistance in Integrated Mine Action Programs: Recommendations, February 2006.