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Full-Text Articles in Peace and Conflict Studies

Going Mobile: Information Sharing And The Changing Face Of Digital Data Collection, Edward Lajoie Jul 2013

Going Mobile: Information Sharing And The Changing Face Of Digital Data Collection, Edward Lajoie

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Effective crisis management requires current and credible information archives, but with limited resources and mobility, gathering such information proves difficult for humanitarian aid organizations and policymakers. Accessing real-time information means having the right tools at your disposal, and technology platforms like Frontline SMS and Ushahidi enable organizations to do just that at no cost.


From Church Mission To Invention, Gary Christ Jul 2013

From Church Mission To Invention, Gary Christ

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

After a mission trip to improve the sanitation needs of orphanages in Cambodia, Gary Christ recognized the great need for a better demining machine and developed the “Peacehammer.”


Catholic Relief Services Develops Mre Materials, Ta Thi Hai Yen Apr 2013

Catholic Relief Services Develops Mre Materials, Ta Thi Hai Yen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Since its formation in 1943, Catholic Relief Services has followed their mission to help impoverished and disadvantaged people overseas. This article discusses how CRS successfully implemented a mine risk education project that has decreased the number of incidents involving landmines and explosive remnants of war in heavily contaminated districts of Vietnam. As a direct result of the project, CRS’s MRE curriculum has been accepted by the provincial Department of Education and integrated with primary level public school curricula.


Catholic Relief Services Develops Mre Materials, Ta Thi Hai Yen Apr 2013

Catholic Relief Services Develops Mre Materials, Ta Thi Hai Yen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article presents state-of-the-art unexploded ordnance detection and classification, including examples from recent field-demonstration studies. After reviewing sensor technologies, with a focus on magnetic and electromagnetic systems, the authors discuss advanced processing techniques that allow for reliable discrimination between hazardous ordnance and harmless metallic clutter. Finally, the article shows results from a large-scale field demonstration conducted in 2011. In this case study, electromagnetic data acquired with an advanced sensor is used to identify ordnance at the site, reducing the number of excavations required with conventional metal detectors by 85%.


Influence Of Soil Properties On The Performance Of Metal Detectors And Gpr, Kazunori Takahashi, Holger Preetz, Jan Igel Apr 2013

Influence Of Soil Properties On The Performance Of Metal Detectors And Gpr, Kazunori Takahashi, Holger Preetz, Jan Igel

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article examines the effects of four soil types on metal detector and GPR performance and proposes the development of a classification system based on soil type to aid in the selection of effective methods for manual demining.


Detecting And Classifying Uxo, Laurens Beran, Barry Zelt, Stephen Billings Apr 2013

Detecting And Classifying Uxo, Laurens Beran, Barry Zelt, Stephen Billings

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article presents state-of-the-art unexploded ordnance detection and classification, including examples from recent field-demonstration studies. After reviewing sensor technologies, with a focus on magnetic and electromagnetic systems, the authors discuss advanced processing techniques that allow for reliable discrimination between hazardous ordnance and harmless metallic clutter. Finally, the article shows results from a large-scale field demonstration conducted in 2011. In this case study, electromagnetic data acquired with an advanced sensor is used to identify ordnance at the site, reducing the number of excavations required with conventional metal detectors by 85%.


Pm/Wra Director Jim Lawrence Retires, Leaves A Legacy, Lois Carter Crawford Apr 2013

Pm/Wra Director Jim Lawrence Retires, Leaves A Legacy, Lois Carter Crawford

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

By integrating the public and private sectors, Jim Lawrence of the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) has brought energy, innovation and passion to mine action. Through anecdotes, coworkers and friends remember Lawrence and his influence on the field as he retires.


In Remembrance: Lawal Johnson, Cisr Journal Apr 2013

In Remembrance: Lawal Johnson, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

With great sadness, Novetta Solutions announces the unexpected death of Lawal Johnson, who died 2 January 2013.


Poland Ratifies The Apmbc, News Brief Apr 2013

Poland Ratifies The Apmbc, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

On 4 December 2012 Poland became the 161st state to ratify the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention or APMBC).


Republic Of The Congo Is Mine-Free, News Brief Apr 2013

Republic Of The Congo Is Mine-Free, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In January 2012, the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of the Congo asked Norwegian People’s Aid to assist in fulfilling its Article 5 obligations to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention or APMBC).


Ernest Konschel: Inventor Of Early Mine Clearance Vehicles, News Brief Apr 2013

Ernest Konschel: Inventor Of Early Mine Clearance Vehicles, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

After the death of a relative by a landmine in 1974 during the Rhodesian Bush War, Ernest Konschel, a self-employed electrical and mechanical engineer, took an interest in how to minimize damage and fatalities from landmine incidents.


Issue 17.1 Endnotes, Cisr Journal Apr 2013

Issue 17.1 Endnotes, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Issue 17.1 Endnotes


Building Capacity To Clear Erw In Georgia, Gvantsa Kvinikadze Apr 2013

Building Capacity To Clear Erw In Georgia, Gvantsa Kvinikadze

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

From October 2010 to September 2012, NATO’s Georgia Explosive Remnants of War and Medical Rehabilitation Partnership for Peace project provided extensive explosive ordnance disposal training to the Georgian Military Engineering Brigade and supplied needed medical rehabilitation equipment to Gori Military Hospital.


The Journal Of Erw And Mine Action Issue 17.1 (2013), Cisr Journal Apr 2013

The Journal Of Erw And Mine Action Issue 17.1 (2013), Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Clearance Operations | Gender and Age Issues | Notes from the Field | Research and Development


A Review Of External Post-Clearance Inspection: How Cost-Effective Is It?, Åsa Gilbert, Aron Larsson Apr 2013

A Review Of External Post-Clearance Inspection: How Cost-Effective Is It?, Åsa Gilbert, Aron Larsson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining conducted a study in early 2012 to consider the effectiveness of performing external post-clearance inspections. GICHD took into account the practices of the International Mine Action Standards, the International Organization for Standardization and the numerous mine action programs worldwide. It also worked with the Swedish company Preference Consulting to determine the mathematical probability of finding a mine/explosive remnant of war during external post-clearance inspections. Lastly, GICHD examined the normative effect of external post-clearance inspections as well as the financial cost associated with their execution.


Legal Aspects Of The Land Release Process, Pehr Lodhammar Apr 2013

Legal Aspects Of The Land Release Process, Pehr Lodhammar

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article explores areas of liability in mine action operations. It defines the concept of residual risk after completion of survey and clearance efforts and presents methods of assigning responsibility for it. The author offers further legal considerations in mine action, including the extent to which contractors are liable for their equipment, employees and the cleared land both during and after operations as well as the process by which national mine action standards are incorporated into the legal liability of all concerned actors.


Aicma Helps Demine Nicaragua’S Gocen District, Addison Embrey Apr 2013

Aicma Helps Demine Nicaragua’S Gocen District, Addison Embrey

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Gocen district of the Mateare municipality in Chiltepe Peninsula, 20 km (12 mi) outside of Managua, Nicaragua, was contaminated with explosive remnants of war from the artillery school that operated nearby. With support from Acción Integral Contra las Minas Antipersonal (Comprehensive Action Against Antipersonnel Mines, AICMA), a program of the Organization of American States, a large portion of the contaminated land in Gocen was cleared and released in 2012.


How To Improve Demining Activities Through Gender-Sensitive Mine Risk Education, Abigail Jones, Arianna Calza Bini, Stella Salvagni Varó Apr 2013

How To Improve Demining Activities Through Gender-Sensitive Mine Risk Education, Abigail Jones, Arianna Calza Bini, Stella Salvagni Varó

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Until recently, mine action was widely perceived as a military and technical field where an almost exclusively male staff planned and implemented activities. However, there is still a need for a better understanding of what mine-affected communities can gain from including gender and age perspectives in mine action and how the different pillars of mine action mutually improve the quality and impact of mine action programs.


Minesweepers: Towards A Landmine-Free Egypt, An Outdoor Humanitarian Demining Robotic Competition, Alaa Khamis Apr 2013

Minesweepers: Towards A Landmine-Free Egypt, An Outdoor Humanitarian Demining Robotic Competition, Alaa Khamis

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Listed as one of the most contaminated countries in the world, Egypt has an estimated 22.7 million landmines and other explosive remnants of war. In order to foster the research, development and application of robotics in humanitarian demining in Egypt, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Robotics and Automation Society – Egypt Chapter organized Minesweepers: Towards a Landmine-Free Egypt, an outdoor robotic competition hosted by the German University in Cairo from 15–17 September 2012.


Post-Conflict Recovery: Gender And Age Issues, Stella Salvagni Varó, Ciro Hamo Apr 2013

Post-Conflict Recovery: Gender And Age Issues, Stella Salvagni Varó, Ciro Hamo

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Despite improvements in victim assistance programs, injured survivors of landmines/explosive remnants of war still struggle to obtain health care and employment. Differentiating between the age and gender of survivors will enable service providers to identify socioeconomic needs.


Women After The Rwandan Genocide: Making The Most Of Survival, Cameron Macauley Apr 2013

Women After The Rwandan Genocide: Making The Most Of Survival, Cameron Macauley

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Since 2009, IBUKA’s peer-support program for genocide survivors in Rwanda has given observers a unique opportunity to work with women who experienced the violence of 1994. In 2010 James Madison University’s Center for International Stabilization and Recovery began providing technical assistance for this program. This article describes some of the particular characteristics of women survivors in the 19 years since the genocide.


Munitions Risk Education In Cambodia, Sambath Chan Apr 2013

Munitions Risk Education In Cambodia, Sambath Chan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Contamination from landmines and unexploded ordnance in Cambodia poses a serious threat to citizens and impedes economic progress. The Cambodian Mine Action Centre’s Mine/UXO Awareness Programme focuses on educating citizens and refugees on landmine and explosive remnants of war safety. CMAC, together with other organizations, also implements the Community Based Mine/UXO Risk Reduction Project, a program that emphasizes community participation with mine action services.


Afghanistan’S Landmine-Removal Extension Request, Justyna Pietralik Apr 2013

Afghanistan’S Landmine-Removal Extension Request, Justyna Pietralik

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Recent conflicts, lack of funding and limited information about mined areas in Afghanistan has prevented the country from meeting its 2013 deadline of becoming mine impact-free. The Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan, along with the Afghan government, submitted a plan proposing to extend Afghanistan’s landmine-removal deadline to 2023. The extension request included almost 200 pages of details regarding mine history and future plans.


Geneva Call Launches First Ansa Database, News Brief Apr 2013

Geneva Call Launches First Ansa Database, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In November 2012 Geneva Call launched "Their Words,” an information database. The database provides published commitments and internal rules and regulations of armed non-state actors.


Faces Of Mine Action: Manizha Rasheed Kamal, Cisr Journal Apr 2013

Faces Of Mine Action: Manizha Rasheed Kamal, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

With a law degree from Preston University in Pakistan and in her current role as a contracts management coordinator at the Mine Action Coordination Centre of Afghanistan, Manizha Rasheed Kamal has more education and experience than many other Afghan women.


The Need For Collaboration Between Ordnance Manufacturers And Uxo Clean-Up Personnel, Jack Imber Oct 2012

The Need For Collaboration Between Ordnance Manufacturers And Uxo Clean-Up Personnel, Jack Imber

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The ability to locate unexploded ordnance remotely and accurately increases the safety and efficiency of clearance efforts. To achieve maximum effectiveness, UXO manufacturers and removal groups should coordinate resources and information to create new and practical technologies to assist in efforts to identify failure rates and prevent civilian casualties. The Lost Puppy Proposal is one example of a life-saving technology that could result from such collaboration.


Darfur: Baseline Kapb Survey, Beatrice Winkler, Shaza Ragab Oct 2012

Darfur: Baseline Kapb Survey, Beatrice Winkler, Shaza Ragab

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article summarizes the first baseline Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices and Beliefs Survey conducted in Darfur since 2003. The purpose of the survey was to gain a better understanding of the knowledge, attitudes, practices and beliefs of the at-risk population in Darfur regarding explosive remnants of war, and to evaluate aspects of transfer of knowledge, use of mass media and surveillance mechanisms.


Handicap International’S Risk Education Challenges, Valentina Crini Oct 2012

Handicap International’S Risk Education Challenges, Valentina Crini

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Handicap International advocates an integrated approach to mine/explosive remnants of war education that on one hand involves participants ranging from actors in the field to national and international policymakers, and on the other hand includes all pillars of mine action. This article examines some prominent challenges facing these practitioners.


Healing The Wounds Of War: Victim Assistance In Post-Conflict Burundi, Cameron Macauley Oct 2012

Healing The Wounds Of War: Victim Assistance In Post-Conflict Burundi, Cameron Macauley

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Although violence in Burundi has subsided, the majority of the survivors still suffer from psychological trauma, including depression, poor self-esteem and anxiety. To manage these negative effects, the Centre d'Encadrement et de Développement des Anciens Combattants (Training Centre for Development of Ex-Combatants) initiated a peer-support program to help ex-combatants solve their challenges as a group. James Madison University’s Center for International Stabilization and Recovery and Action on Armed Violence worked with CEDAC on this peer-support program. The program is funded jointly by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and AOAV.


Cisr Donates 200 Mobile Phones To Peer-Support Workers, Cameron Macauley Oct 2012

Cisr Donates 200 Mobile Phones To Peer-Support Workers, Cameron Macauley

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

On 11 June 2012, the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at James Madison University donated 200 mobile phones to its partner organization IBUKA (“Never Forget” in Kinyarwanda), the largest support network for genocide survivors in Rwanda.