International Mine Awareness Day 2018

April 4, 2018

Today, on 4 April, we observe the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. This year’s theme is ‘Advancing Protection, Peace and Development’.

Explosive hazards such as landmines and grenades instil fear into the lives of millions of people worldwide. The number of people being killed or injured by these weapons has reached a reported high of 8,600 per year, a figure that is almost certainly underestimated.

Upon establishing this international day of recognition, the UN called for continued efforts by states and NGOs to reach the goal of a world free from landmines by 2025.

EMERGENCY is at the forefront of the organisations engaged in the fight against explosive violence. Since 1994, EMERGENCY has provided medical care, rehabilitative support and vocational training to civilian victims of landmines and explosive weapons, which indiscriminately target innocent men, women, and children.

EMERGENCY UK is a proud partner of the APPG on Explosive Weapons, a cross-party group of British parliamentarians working together with civil society organisations to combat the use of landmines and IEDs.

EMERGENCY currently operates specialised projects in Iraq to treat and rehabilitate victims of landmines. In 2017 alone, 928 patients were admitted to EMERGENCY’s hospitals with landmine injuries. With your support, we will continue to provide free of charge medical care, physiotherapy and social reintegration programmes to the victims of these inhumane and indiscriminate weapons, and to advocate for a world free from landmines.

#IMAD2018 #MineFree