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Full-Text Articles in Emergency and Disaster Management
Colombia, Country Profile
Colombia, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
As a country plagued with landmines, Colombia has faced a number of challenges relating to victim assistance. To remedy this situation, various government programs have been developed, but their effectiveness has frequently been compromised. Thanks to a number of private organizations, strides are being made to improve victim assistance.
New Uxo Detector With Metal-Discrimination Option, Jürgen Braunstein, Armin Merz, Markus Sautter, Gerhard Vallon
New Uxo Detector With Metal-Discrimination Option, Jürgen Braunstein, Armin Merz, Markus Sautter, Gerhard Vallon
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
A forerunner in the field of metal detection, Vallon GmbH has recently developed the VMXC1—an unexploded-ordnance detector specifically designed to determine the presence of submunitions. The detector’ innovative metal-discrimination option allows for fewer false alarms during UXO clearance. Field results of the new detector are discussed below.
India, Country Profile
India, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
An estimated 30 to 50 million people in India suffer from a disability. This number translates to about 3 to 5 percent of the 1.13 billion inhabitants. The country is plagued by a variety of issues, including overpopulation, poverty, internal conflict,and contamination by landmines as well as other explosive remnants of war.
Lao Pdr, Country Profile
Lao Pdr, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is the world’s most heavily unexploded ordnance-contaminated nation, deeply affecting the country’s people. During the Second Indochina War (also known as the Vietnam–American War), the United States carried out more than half a million bombing missions over Lao PDR, during which over two million tons (1.8 million metric tonnes) of ordnance were dropped. Up to 30 percent of this ordnance failed to explode,leaving behind a serious UXO contamination that still kills and maims innocent men, women and children in one of the poorest nations in the world.
Iraq Mine And Uxo Clearance Organization, Cisr Journal
Iraq Mine And Uxo Clearance Organization, Cisr Journal
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
For Iraq, being plagued by landmines is only one of the many problems that it is currently facing. The country also suffers from sectarian violence, internal instability and economic hardship. As the government transforms its mine-action policy, one organization, the Iraq Mine and UXO [Unexploded Ordnance] Clearance Organization, has proven itself to be a powerful force in addressing the urgent needs of the Iraqi community. Though it faces challenges itself, IMCO shows great promise for rebuilding Iraq and stands as a model for future Iraqi nongovernmental organizations.
News Briefs, News Brief
Testing The Effectiveness And Survivability Of The Mini Minewolf, Thomas Sponfeldner
Testing The Effectiveness And Survivability Of The Mini Minewolf, Thomas Sponfeldner
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The following test results illustrate the Mini MineWolf’s viability in the field. First, Mini MineWolf’s ability to neutralize simulated anti-personnel mines was tested in three different soil types and at varying depths. The machine was then subjected to live anti-tank blasts by the German Army and the Canadian Centre for Mine Action Technologies.
Erw And Survivor Assistance In Central Vietnam, Ari Perlstein, Imbert Matthee
Erw And Survivor Assistance In Central Vietnam, Ari Perlstein, Imbert Matthee
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
In central Vietnam, the problem of unexploded ordnance and landmine contamination is still particularly serious, and casualty rates continue to be high in certain areas. The following is an overview of Clear Path International’s activities in the region, and includes an analysis of the most recent data collected about explosive remnants of war incidents.
Adnan Al Aboudi And The Landmine Survivors Network Of Jordan, Cisr Journal
Adnan Al Aboudi And The Landmine Survivors Network Of Jordan, Cisr Journal
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Since a life-altering car accident left him permanently disabled in 1989, Adnan Al Aboudi has dedicated his life and career to victim assistance in mine action. Al Aboudi, along with his organization, Landmine Survivors Network–Jordan, has developed a unique humanistic approach to mine action. They focus on psychological as well as physical recovery for disabled victims of explosive remnants of war. Through his hard work and perseverance, Al Aboudi has raised national and international awareness of the importance of victim assistance in mine action.
Pioneering Prosthetics, Duane Nelson
Pioneering Prosthetics, Duane Nelson
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Duane Nelson, along with a friend and colleague, Jody Riggs, spent three months in 2007 assisting amputees along the Thailand/Burma (Myanmar) border. Their specialized training in prosthetics and orthotics changed the lives of the amputees, and the families and communities of these survivors. With the aid of local actors, Nelson and Riggs helped the survivors travel the road to recovery.
The Yemen Association For Landmine And Uxo Survivors, Anne Capelle
The Yemen Association For Landmine And Uxo Survivors, Anne Capelle
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Since its creation in September 2004 by the Yemen Executive Mine Action Centre, the Yemen Association for Landmine and UXO Survivors has played an active role in raising awareness of mine-affected areas and in promoting socioeconomic reintegration of mine/unexploded ordnance survivors through educational programs. Currently, YALS and YEMAC are working together with the goal of reintegrating 500 survivors by 2009.
Local Ngos And Firms In Mine Action, Eric Filippino, Ted Paterson
Local Ngos And Firms In Mine Action, Eric Filippino, Ted Paterson
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
As more local nongovernmental organizations develop, establishing a distinction between local NGOs and commercial companies has become a growing concern for potential donors. The differences between NGOs and firms can be difficult to determine at times.
Pakistan, Country Profile
Pakistan, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Pakistan is not a signatory of the Ottawa Convention but is a member of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. Funding for mine action is difficult in Pakistan because the Mine Ban Convention was not ratified; consequently, prospective donors are less likely to invest in Pakistan’s landmine removal and victim-assistance endeavors. The lack of financial support as well as support from the government has made mine action—and specifically victim assistance—very difficult. The government’s stance is that landmines are important for the country’s security, especially along the borders of Afghanistan and India where disputes over land continue.
Somalia, Country Profile
Somalia, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
In 1960, Britain and Italy ended their colonial rule in Somaliland. British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland combined, creating the new state of Somalia. In 1969, however, the young nation was overthrown by Mohamed Siad Barre, who set up the authoritarian and socialist state of Somalia, bringing much-needed stability to the nation, despite his known corruption. 1991 marked the ousting of this authoritarian rule and began 15 years of anarchy and chaos as a variety of groups struggled for control of the nation or claimed regions of it as their own. At this point Somaliland broke away from Somalia as a …
Vocational Training And Wheelchairs, Huoy Socheat, Chin Yok
Vocational Training And Wheelchairs, Huoy Socheat, Chin Yok
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
This article talks about two associations that work together to improve the lives of mine survivors and other persons with disabilities in Cambodia by providing skills training, counseling and wheelchairs.
Total Quality Management In Mine Action, Daniel Eriksson
Total Quality Management In Mine Action, Daniel Eriksson
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Here the author relays the relationship between information management and quality management and how the latter depends on the efficiency of the former. With increasingly better tools for mine-action programs in the field of information management, such as the new versions of the Information Management System for Mine Action, the author discusses how mine action will move into a new age of information technology that will allow for better proficiency in the field.
Basra, Iraq, Prosthetics Project, Cisr Journal
Basra, Iraq, Prosthetics Project, Cisr Journal
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The Basra, Iraq, Prosthetics Project, has given new hope to the many amputees in Iraq. With thousands already affected by the aftermath of landmines and other explosive remnants of war in Iraq, the Basra Prosthetics Project is dedicated to giving amputees their independence and futures back, literally one step at a time.
Project Documents Discrimination Against Persons With Disabilities, Julie Miller
Project Documents Discrimination Against Persons With Disabilities, Julie Miller
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
This article describes the beginning of the International Disability Rights Monitor and its advocacy for persons with disabilities. The author pays special attention to the passing of human rights laws for the disabled and future monitoring efforts to ensure that parties adhere to those laws.
Cluster Munitions: Should They Be Banned?, Henry Dowlen, Md
Cluster Munitions: Should They Be Banned?, Henry Dowlen, Md
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Cluster munitions have been used in at least 23 countries, produced in 33 and stockpiled in over 70; their submunitions number into the billions. They cause lasting humanitarian problems and have recently been the target of campaigns to ban their use. This article aims to summarize the history, utility, legacy and legislation surrounding cluster munitions.
Mine Action Support Group Update, Cisr Journal
Mine Action Support Group Update, Cisr Journal
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The following article highlights the recent activities of the Mine Action Support Group, including updates on the United Nations Mine Action Service, the United Nations Development Programme and UNICEF. It is excerpted from the United Nations' newsletter covering the period from January to April 2008
Burma (Myanmar), Country Profile
Burma (Myanmar), Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Burma gained its independence from British colonial rule in 1948. Shortly afterward, the country plunged into civil war among various political groups while also facing an insurgency in the state of Karen. Over 50 years later, a military junta now controls the government and an insurgency remains in Karen. This near-constant state of conflict has resulted in the widespread use of landmines in both developed and underdeveloped parts of the country. The instability of the government and insecurity in many rural areas have made survivor assistance difficult and inconsistent
Cambodia, Country Profile
Cambodia, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Plagued by nearly three decades of war, Cambodia remains one of the countries most afflicted by landmines and explosive remnants of war despite its recent decline in mine/ERW victims. There are nearly 14 million people living in Cambodia, and it is estimated that there are 43,316 survivors of landmines/unexploded ordnance who require assistance.
Vietnam, Country Profile
Vietnam, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Vietnam, a country of more than 85 million people, has one of the world’s highest rates of disabled citizens—greater than 6 percent of the entire population. That figure is partially attributable to contamination by landmines and unexploded ordnance, which encroaches on more than 60,000 square kilometers (23,166 square miles) and up to one-fifth of the country’s land surface. As a result, the Landmine Monitor Report has estimated that there are currently some 66,380 survivors of mines and explosive remnants of war in Vietnam—4,000 of whom received survivor services in 2006.
The Halo Trust And Hstamids, Chris Boshoff, Roger Cresci
The Halo Trust And Hstamids, Chris Boshoff, Roger Cresci
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
A technology that employs multiple mine-detection techniques could improve demining around the world. Six months of using this product on-site have shown exciting results. Benefits of using this demining tool include increased effectiveness, speed and safety. This device was initially manufactured and used for military purposes only. The process of making it available to non-military organizations was difficult but successful.
Victim Assistance: Still Seeking The Way, Suzanne Fiederlein
Victim Assistance: Still Seeking The Way, Suzanne Fiederlein
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
This article looks at the progress made in the area of victim assistance since 2002 with special attention paid to data collection, funding and program coordination.
Endnotes Issue 12.1, Cisr Journal
Endnotes Issue 12.1, Cisr Journal
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Endnotes Issue 12.1
In Remembrance: Silvija Bogdany, Cisr Journal
In Remembrance: Silvija Bogdany, Cisr Journal
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Silvija Bogdany, Operations Manager for RONCO Consulting Corporation in Northern Sudan, died 30 April 2008, from injuries resulting from a vehicle accident outside the town of El Obeid, Sudan. Her coworker, Jan Bosman, United Nations Mine Action Office Regional Coordinator for Northern Sudan, was also killed in the accident.
Developing Medical Capacity In Lao Pdr, Barbara Lewis, Sarah Bruinooge
Developing Medical Capacity In Lao Pdr, Barbara Lewis, Sarah Bruinooge
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Prior to 1996, Laotian victims of unexploded ordnance were left with few options for medical treatment. Since that time, however, the inadequacy of the healthcare system to handle such situations has been addressed and improvements made possible through the efforts of the World Victims Assistance Program. Though UXO accidents will continue to occur in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic well into the future, the impact of programs implemented by World Education and numerous other nongovernmental organizations and government entities has contributed to a significant increase in the number of survivors who have received effective treatment.
Occupied Palestinian Territories, Country Profile
Occupied Palestinian Territories, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
A half-century of conflict has contributed to the current unstable situation of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, split between the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the Fatah-controlled West Bank. Both explosive ordnance and unexploded ordnance remain from the civil struggle between Hamas and Fatah political factions, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Earlier this year, Israeli forces imposed dominion over the Gaza Strip, plunging the region into a humanitarian crisis. On 23 January 2008, a series of Hamas-detonated landmine explosions along the border wall in Rafah, Gaza Strip, opened passage for tens of thousands of Palestinians to escape into Egypt. No signs …
Empowering Iraqis: Rehabilitation Training In Bosnia, Nikola Prvulov, Julie Miller
Empowering Iraqis: Rehabilitation Training In Bosnia, Nikola Prvulov, Julie Miller
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
This article discusses the role that aid workers from Bosnia have had in training Iraqi medical personnel to treat war injuries. It stresses the role that nongovernmental organizations and intergovernmental organizations have had in supporting these efforts and how countries affected by unexploded ordnance and landmines have tried to share their experience with other countries in need of training and assistance.