Even after a war is over, landmines buried deep beneath the earth can remain active for decades, and lie dormant until something (a person, animal, or vehicle) triggers the mechanism. While they are incredibly small, the destruction they can cause is considerable.
Due to SPECPOL's efforts, as of 2015 over 29 countries have cleared out all known mine areas; thus fulfilling their obligations to the Ottawa mechanism.
Although this is a huge improvement, landmines still pose a serious threat to communities, especially ones where people earn the majority of their livelihoods off of agriculture. An example of this would be the landmine contamination in Angola which has completely destroyed its agricultural potential.
On the whole, SPECPOL is pretty bent on removing existing landmines. However there has been much debate as to what is the best way of going about it. Since landmines are easily detonated, nations have suggested various methods. For example, North Korea proposed that they use people to detonate the explosives.
Chile thought that this approach was too extreme however is suggested animal carcasses instead. Unfortunately, both ideas were shot down immediately for being “unethical”.
Of course, one of SPECPOL’s goals moving forward is to work towards a world free of landmines and other explosive remnants of war; however, smart mines are currently being developed by the military, and as France cleverly points out “smart mines are mines too”. While these new landmines are said to be safer, the current safety guidelines still allow for a 10% failure rate.
That being said, mines will lie dormant until activated, and many landmine injuries and fatalities can actually be prevented by employing mine risk education programs.
The truth of the matter is, the majority of civilians involved in landmine related accidents are either unaware of the potential danger or are unable to read the signs warning them about their presence.
Due to SPECPOL's efforts, as of 2015 over 29 countries have cleared out all known mine areas; thus fulfilling their obligations to the Ottawa mechanism.
Although this is a huge improvement, landmines still pose a serious threat to communities, especially ones where people earn the majority of their livelihoods off of agriculture. An example of this would be the landmine contamination in Angola which has completely destroyed its agricultural potential.
On the whole, SPECPOL is pretty bent on removing existing landmines. However there has been much debate as to what is the best way of going about it. Since landmines are easily detonated, nations have suggested various methods. For example, North Korea proposed that they use people to detonate the explosives.
Chile thought that this approach was too extreme however is suggested animal carcasses instead. Unfortunately, both ideas were shot down immediately for being “unethical”.
Of course, one of SPECPOL’s goals moving forward is to work towards a world free of landmines and other explosive remnants of war; however, smart mines are currently being developed by the military, and as France cleverly points out “smart mines are mines too”. While these new landmines are said to be safer, the current safety guidelines still allow for a 10% failure rate.
That being said, mines will lie dormant until activated, and many landmine injuries and fatalities can actually be prevented by employing mine risk education programs.
The truth of the matter is, the majority of civilians involved in landmine related accidents are either unaware of the potential danger or are unable to read the signs warning them about their presence.