Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 30 of 145

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Ddasaccident520, Hd-Aid Dec 2004

Ddasaccident520, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Details of this accident have been withheld by the demining NGO that employed the Victim. A spreadsheet including the Victim’s name and very brief details of the accident was made available in 2007. Some details can be inferred from the information released. For example, the limited injury implies that the victim’s PPE was being worn in the correct manner.


Joint Evaluation Of Mine Action In Cambodia For The Donor Working Group On Mine Action, Robert Griffin, Robert Keeley Dec 2004

Joint Evaluation Of Mine Action In Cambodia For The Donor Working Group On Mine Action, Robert Griffin, Robert Keeley

Global CWD Repository

This report presents the findings and recommendations of the Joint Evaluation of the Mine Action Sector in Cambodia to the Royal Cambodian Government and the donor Technical Working Group on Mine Action. The objectives of this evaluation are to provide an independent assessment of the achievements and challenges of the mine action sector in Cambodia; to present strategic recommendations for the orientation of future donor support to the sector, taking into account the need to strengthen the linkages between the mine action sector and national development plans and programmes; and to provide a common basis for a renewed donor-government partnership …


Training Of Mine Detection Dogs In Bosnia And Herzegovina (Npa Global Training Centre), Gichd Dec 2004

Training Of Mine Detection Dogs In Bosnia And Herzegovina (Npa Global Training Centre), Gichd

Global CWD Repository

This case study describes the mine detection dog (MDD) training programme used by Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) in its Global Training Centre (GTC) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is not a training manual, its aim is to promote the dissemination of information about successful programmes to the larger MDD community and to encourage evolution of methodologies by providing an example of one particularly successful method among the many MDD training programmes.


Ddasaccident537, Hd-Aid Nov 2004

Ddasaccident537, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Deminer [the Victim] started demining in his lane no. 47. He set off a P4 MK1 antipersonnel mine with his right foot by stepping on it 07:10 am. Explosion occurred 2 meters from the end of the 27 meter long cleared lane in already cleared area. Deminer fell down to his front. He was not injured except for small scratch in his little finger due to falling. His boots did not suffer any damage.


Missed Opportunities: The Need For Landmine Survivor Rehabilitation In Rural Areas, Stephen Meyers Nov 2004

Missed Opportunities: The Need For Landmine Survivor Rehabilitation In Rural Areas, Stephen Meyers

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Persons with disabilities in developing countries are "regarded by their own communities as the most disadvantaged," yet poverty alleviation and international aid programs have consistently failed to prioritize their rehabilitation and integration into society. Within the scope of mine action (landmine removal, victim assistance and mine risk education), landmine survivor assistance receives only five percent of all humanitarian mine action funding. Persons with disabilities, whether their disabilities were caused by war, agricultural or industrial accidents, diabetes, infection or other causes, are often ignored.


Landmine And Uxo Safety: The “Duty Of Care”, Sebastian Kasack Nov 2004

Landmine And Uxo Safety: The “Duty Of Care”, Sebastian Kasack

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

A long wheelbase Landcruiser can seat 13 people: five in the front and eight in the rear. Usually those sitting in the rear cannot use seat belts because there are none, and those in front often choose not to wear them. Besides, at the end of the world, as the Portuguese called the southeastern corner of Angola, it is very unlikely you will meet another car anyway, so why wear seat belts?


Guatemala, Country Profile Nov 2004

Guatemala, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Tucked among Mexico, El Salvador and Honduras, Guatemala is a country full of history. Farming and fishing villages date back to as early as 2000 B.C. and represent the beginning of the Mayan culture that dominated the area for centuries. In 1583, Pedro de Alvarado, sent by the king of Spain, conquered the lands of the remaining Mayans and took possession of the land. The year 1821 brought independence from Spanish rule but not an improvement in the lives of the Mayans. Various leaders and governments took power, and in the 1950s, Colonel Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán carried on the liberal …


Comprehensive Action Against Landmines In Ecuador, Guillermo Leal Nov 2004

Comprehensive Action Against Landmines In Ecuador, Guillermo Leal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

During the conflict of 1995 between Ecuador and Peru, a number of minefields were sown along the disputed border area. Although statistics concerning the problem have been difficult to obtain, anti-personnel mines represent a serious threat to the local populations. Many inhabitants have been forced to alter their traditional agricultural lifestyles as well as other daily activities such as cattle ranching, hunting and fishing.


The Process Of Demining And Destroying Uxo In Guatemala, Guillermo Pacheco Nov 2004

The Process Of Demining And Destroying Uxo In Guatemala, Guillermo Pacheco

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The process of demining and destroying UXO in Guatemala is characterized by a collaborative effort between civilians and military personnel. This process is conducted in a diplomatic manner between the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG) and the National Army, the parties of the 36-year internal armed conflict, which concluded in 1996. Likewise, the demining and UXO destruction operations that Guatemala executes reflect the characteristics that were prevalent during the armed conflict, including the rare use of anti-personnel mines and UXO proliferation.


Engaging Non-State Actors In The Fight Against Landmines: A Key To Negotiating Peace In Colombia, Elisabeth Reusse-Decrey Nov 2004

Engaging Non-State Actors In The Fight Against Landmines: A Key To Negotiating Peace In Colombia, Elisabeth Reusse-Decrey

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Today, one of the populations in the world that suffers the most from landmine use by armed non-state actors (NSAs) is the population of Colombia. Since 2003, Geneva Call, a humanitarian, independent and neutral international organisation dedicated to engaging NSAs in a total ban against anti-personnel landmines, has established a line of communication with Colombian armed groups. With the support of the national government and the collaboration of the Colombian Campaign Against Landmines—a partner organisation—representatives of Geneva Call have met with members of the government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in Colombia, other local and indigenous organisations, as well as members …


El Salvador, Country Profile Nov 2004

El Salvador, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Although El Salvador gained its independence from Spain in 1838, oppressive regimes controlled the nation from that time through the 20th century. In the late 1970s, leftist groups, most notably the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), violently lashed against the ruling government. Fraudulent elections dashed the prospects of a full democracy, and by 1980, the country became mired in a full-scale civil war. El Salvador became the focus of special international attention during this period due to the FMLN's surprising success, which the government was able to suppress. In 1992, after 12 years of fighting, the United Nations was …


Peru, Country Profile Nov 2004

Peru, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Peru is located at the center of the Andean states, bordered by Colombia and Ecuador in the north, Brazil and Bolivia in the east, and Chile in the south. The people of Peru declared their independence from Spain in 1821. Revolutionary fighting continued, however, until 1824, when all remaining Spanish forces in Peru were defeated. Peru's primary landmine problems are a result of guerilla military activity in the 1980s that afflicted its internal regions, particularly near electrical towers and power-generation stations that were mined for protection against guerilla sabotage. Border conflicts with Ecuador in the north during the mid-1990s also …


Fusing Aerial Multispectral Imagery And High-Resolution Photography, Milan Bajic Nov 2004

Fusing Aerial Multispectral Imagery And High-Resolution Photography, Milan Bajic

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Aerial remote sensing is useful for spotting indicators in the survey of mine-suspected areas and minefields. Because the detection of landmines in the soil and under the vegetation cover is not yet practical, the minefield indicators and their electromagnetic signatures provide means for detection of the mine-suspected areas and minefields. The minefield indicators can be natural (e.g., vegetation cover) over a large spatial extent, or else artificial or man-made (e.g., trenches, bunkers, demolished objects) over a small spatial extent. The dimensions of artificial minefield indicators require use of multi-spectral sensors and aerial images with spatial resolution below one meter. Due …


U.S. Humanitarian Demining Research And Development Program Provides "Reach-In" Technology, Chris Wanner Nov 2004

U.S. Humanitarian Demining Research And Development Program Provides "Reach-In" Technology, Chris Wanner

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

When mine clearance operations closed down on June 12, 2004, for the last time in Honduras, U.S. Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) prototype equipment on trial was there to help complete the work started nearly one decade ago. Progress in reaching this milestone had stalled in 2002. Lack of a solution to a troublesome combination of environmental and threat factors remained beyond the capability of normal clearance procedures at one of the last remaining mine-suspected areas left in Honduras. Conventional clearance methods had revealed evidence of a mixture of anti-personnel and anti-tank mines buried under a meter …


The Gichd Regional Support Centre: An Approach To Regional Information Management, Simon Berger, Alan Arnold Nov 2004

The Gichd Regional Support Centre: An Approach To Regional Information Management, Simon Berger, Alan Arnold

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Ask most people in mine action what is meant by regional information management and they will talk to you about the consolidation of country-specific mine action information at centralized regional locations. They may talk about the need for data aggregation, the reluctance of programmes to provide data and the generally slow pace of the work. In almost all cases, they will mention data analysis and comparisons between the work completed in different programmes as key elements in regional systems. Most of the examples given will focus on efforts that fell short of expectations and failed to deliver on the promise …


Beyond Mine Removal, Juan Carlos Ruan Nov 2004

Beyond Mine Removal, Juan Carlos Ruan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

For over a decade, the Organization of American States (OAS) has been coordinating landmine removal operations throughout the Americas. The program has been the responsibility of the Mine Action Program of the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy of the OAS, which provides overall coordination and management. The OAS has been successful with the technical assistance of the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB), the hard work of the national armies and the generosity of international donors. While the national armies of mine-affected countries carry out the actual demining in the field, the IADB provides a team of international supervisors and military …


Colombia: Mine Action And Armed Conflict, Eric Filippino Nov 2004

Colombia: Mine Action And Armed Conflict, Eric Filippino

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Colombia is still in the throes of armed conflict and organised violence that has been ongoing during the past 40 years. Parties to the conflict include the government and armed forces of Colombia as well as numerous guerrilla groups. The two largest of these are the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which first appeared in 1964, and the National Liberation Army (NLA or ELN). In addition, numerous paramilitary groups operating throughout the country receive tacit support from certain Colombian army units.1 There continues to be disputed control over vast swathes of Colombian territory.


Marminca's Experience: Coordinating Humanitarian Demining, Luiz Felipe Ramos Gonzalez Nov 2004

Marminca's Experience: Coordinating Humanitarian Demining, Luiz Felipe Ramos Gonzalez

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Humanitarian demining is an essential component of mine action, which encompasses a series of activities such as mine and UXO removal, technical studies, mapping, the returning of cleared land to the communities, victim assistance, and mine risk education (MRE), among others. Since 1995, the Organization of American States (OAS) has carried out demining programs in Central America, concentrating its efforts in four countries: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. This program has been carried out in the region with the support of donor countries, beneficiary countries, contributing countries and the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB).


From Desperation To Self-Confidence: An Interview With Landmine Survivor Mr. Francisco Peralta, Juan Carlos Ruan Nov 2004

From Desperation To Self-Confidence: An Interview With Landmine Survivor Mr. Francisco Peralta, Juan Carlos Ruan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mr. Francisco Peralta is a Nicaraguan landmine survivor from Ocotal, Department of Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua, who, as with many landmine victims, lost much more than his limbs to this weapon. Mr. Peralta lost his livelihood, his ability to support his family, his self-confidence, and his overall happiness. Through his integration into the Organization of American States’ (OAS’s) rehabilitation program, however, his life has changed 100 percent. Today he stands as a testament to the success of the OAS program and the need for this type of program to assist landmine survivors and help them literally and figuratively get back on …


Community-Based Rehabilitation Program Design And Implementation In Central America, Michael Lundquist Nov 2004

Community-Based Rehabilitation Program Design And Implementation In Central America, Michael Lundquist

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Since 1997, the Polus Center for Social & Economic Development, Inc., has been supporting orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) services in Central America. In 1999, Polus expanded its effort and, in collaboration with local citizens of Leon, Nicaragua, opened Walking Unidos, an outreach O&P workshop. Since the success of Walking Unidos, the Polus Center has helped develop two other O&P programs: Vida Nueva in Choluteca, Honduras, and the other in Managua, Nicaragua, a venture made possible with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). In addition, the Polus Center developed several other disability-related programs, including the Disability …


The Landmine Victim Assistance Component Implemented By The Oas In Nicaragua, Carlos Orozco Nov 2004

The Landmine Victim Assistance Component Implemented By The Oas In Nicaragua, Carlos Orozco

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In 1990, Nicaragua registered approximately 135,000 mines buried within its national territory and another 133,435 mines in military stockpiles as a result of the internal conflict witnessed in Nicaragua during the 1980s. Although I will not touch on the details related to the operations, it is important to note that Nicaragua is the most heavily mined country in Central America and on the whole continent. As of June 2004, approximately 27,400 anti-personnel mines remain buried within Nicaraguan territory.


An Interview With Mine Awareness Expert Mr. Porfirio Gomez, Juan Carlos Ruan Nov 2004

An Interview With Mine Awareness Expert Mr. Porfirio Gomez, Juan Carlos Ruan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

One of the key components of the Mine Action Program of the Organization of American States (OAS) is mine risk education (MRE). It is the belief of the program that the most important measure one can take to ensure that affected communities practice safe behavior is to educate them on the risks associated with landmines and UXO. The objective of this component is to not solely attain the reduction of the risk of injury or death by promoting safe behavior, but also provide solutions to high-risk behavior that is observed in some affected communities. This is done through a number …


Dear Mr. President...: Landmines All Over The World Are Tearing Lives Apart, Saiann Films Nov 2004

Dear Mr. President...: Landmines All Over The World Are Tearing Lives Apart, Saiann Films

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

"The mine is a stealthy killer. Long after conflict is ended, its innocent victims die or are wounded singly, in countries of which we hear little. Their lonely fate is never reported."
-Diana, Princess of Wales, 1997


Public-Private Partnerships Paving The Way For Success In Sri Lanka, Margaret S. Busé Nov 2004

Public-Private Partnerships Paving The Way For Success In Sri Lanka, Margaret S. Busé

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

"Most young people, including those in their 20s in Sri Lanka, have never seen a day without war because of the fighting that has lasted for the past two decades in Sri Lanka. For them to see new construction underway, schools reopening, and for locals to be able to move out of refugee camps back onto their land—these all come as welcome sights."-Mary Eisenhower, President, People to People International


Operation Emirates Solidarity: An International Model And Mine Clearance Success Story, Chris Clark Nov 2004

Operation Emirates Solidarity: An International Model And Mine Clearance Success Story, Chris Clark

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Landmines and unexploded munitions remaining from the 22-year Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon, as well as previous periods of conflict in the area, severely hindered the much-needed restoration of peace and security in the area. Reconstruction, socio-economic development and general community life were severely affected by the massive landmine contamination left following the Israeli withdrawal in 2000.


Red Rocks And Green Grapes, Jed Harris Nov 2004

Red Rocks And Green Grapes, Jed Harris

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As I stopped along the roadside north of Kabul, three young boys emerged from an overgrown vineyard and proudly offered me a handful of fresh grapes. Soon more children emerged. The sight brought back childhood memories of summer days spent roaming through the vast vineyards that joined our ranch in California. However, my smile quickly vanished with alarm. The unmistakable signs of a minefield, rocks painted red, surrounded the field from where these children surfaced. Why would they trespass through the jeopardy of a minefield I wondered? The oldest boy quickly responded, ma goashna, "we are hungry." The basic …


Turkey Moves Forward To Demine Upper Mesopotamia, Ali Koknar Nov 2004

Turkey Moves Forward To Demine Upper Mesopotamia, Ali Koknar

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Turkish-Syrian border was first drawn in 1921, altered in 1938, and finally demarcated once again in 1956. Between 1991 and 1993, portions of the border were further demarcated, bringing the border deeper into Turkish territory. Most of the land in near the Turkish-Syrian border falls under the legal category of "Forbidden Military Zone in the First and Second Degrees" (i.e., public land administered by the Turkish military). Some of it is formerly privately-owned farmland nationalized during the 1956 demarcation.


The National Demining Office In Lebanon, 1998–2004, George Massaad, Salim Raad, Kassem Jammoul, Chip Bowness Nov 2004

The National Demining Office In Lebanon, 1998–2004, George Massaad, Salim Raad, Kassem Jammoul, Chip Bowness

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mine action in Lebanon only became highlighted internationally since the withdrawal of Israeli forces in May 2000. Wars and occupation during the past 25 years have left hundreds of thousands of mines and UXO scattered throughout Lebanon, including cluster munitions. The draft national Landmine Impact Survey (LIS) indicates that as of September 2003, more than 30 percent of the national population of 3.7 million is affected, and estimates that 1.4 percent of the landmass or about 137 million square metres remains potentially contaminated by mines and/or UXO. This is a significant detriment to socio-economic development.


Mine Risk Education In Kawthoolei Liberated Area: An Experiment In Creating A Program Of Mre In A Non-State-Controlled Area Of Burma, Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan Nov 2004

Mine Risk Education In Kawthoolei Liberated Area: An Experiment In Creating A Program Of Mre In A Non-State-Controlled Area Of Burma, Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Engaging a non-state armed group in any aspect of mine action is based on the same concerns of humanitarian action that are the basis of engaging any state authority, but more time may be needed to educate non-state groups in humanitarian norms to which they are unable to accede, and by which they may not feel bound. Most non-state actors (NSAs) will engage in armed conflict. If the conflict is over, they have either dissolved or become a part of the official governing structure. If they are mine users, mine action will be similar to that undertaken in states that …


Non-State Actors In Nepal, Cisr Jmu Nov 2004

Non-State Actors In Nepal, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Since the end of the monarchy in 1951, Nepal has faced governmental problems. A multi-party democracy was established in 1990, but since then Nepal has had 14 governments. A Maoist insurgency began in 1996 and has claimed thousands of civilian, government and rebel lives. In 2001, nine members of the royal family were killed in a shooting spree by Prince Diprendra, son of the late King Birendra, who then turned the gun on himself. The Maoist insurgency has tried to fill the void left by the monarchy and an ongoing struggle ties together the government and rebel groups, also known …