On the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness, grave concern raises over the persistent failure to scale up effective public awareness on the dangers posed by landmines and unexploded ordnance across several conflict-affected contexts.

This failure can no longer be viewed as a secondary humanitarian gap; rather, it constitutes a direct and ongoing driver of civilian harm. International estimates indicating that one person is killed or injured every hour by these remnants underscore the alarming disparity between the magnitude of the threat and the inadequacy of preventive responses.

Across countries such as Yemen, Syria, and Sudan, millions of civilians continue to reside in environments contaminated by mines and explosive remnants of war, rendering everyday activities inherently life-threatening. In Yemen, the widespread deployment of landmines since 2015 has resulted in thousands of civilian casualties, obstructed the safe and sustainable return of millions of IDPs, and devastated agricultural land and livelihoods. In Syria, the extensive presence of unexploded ordnance continues to impede refugee returns and undermines early recovery and reconstruction efforts. Meanwhile, in Sudan, the ongoing conflict since 2023 risks expanding contamination in the absence of reliable mapping systems and comprehensive Mine Risk Education (MRE) initiatives.

Mine Risk Education (MRE) initiatives remain among the most effective preventive tools available—cost-efficient, scalable, and capable of saving lives—yet it continues to be systematically underprioritized within humanitarian responses. A significant proportion of casualties occur during routine civilian activities such as farming, herding, collecting firewood, or returning to residential areas, often due to a lack of basic knowledge on identifying hazardous objects or avoiding contaminated zones. This pattern highlights deep-seated structural gaps, including weak public policies and the failure to integrate risk awareness into formal education and community protection frameworks.

The role of media in this domain remains largely reactive. Coverage frequently prioritizes post-incident reporting over sustained, preventive awareness. This lack of simplified, age-appropriate content—particularly for children—is a missed opportunity to leverage media as a critical tool for harm reduction. To bridge this gap, humanitarian actors must build stronger partnerships with local media to deliver continuous, accessible safety messaging via radio, digital platforms, and visual media.

At the policy level, structural deficiencies persist in several affected countries, including the lack of updated and publicly accessible databases on contaminated areas, weak coordination among relevant authorities, and insufficient integration of mine risk education into national curricula and public health frameworks. These gaps contribute to perpetuating cycles of risk and exposure, leaving communities without the tools necessary to protect themselves.

Non-state armed groups and militias bear significant responsibility for the continued proliferation of landmines, particularly in the absence of adherence to legal and technical standards governing their use. In Yemen, credible human rights documentation has demonstrated the extensive and indiscriminate planting of mines in roads, agricultural lands, residential areas, and even in proximity to homes, often without warning markers or recorded mapping. Such practices not only demonstrate a blatant disregard for civilian life but also constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law, which obliges all parties to armed conflict to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians. The proliferation of weapons outside formal state control, coupled with the absence of accountability, further entrenches the long-term humanitarian impact of these devices.

States, for their part, carry primary legal responsibility to address the risks associated with landmines and explosive remnants of war. This mandate extends beyond awareness efforts to include full compliance with international legal frameworks, notably the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Convention). Obligations under this framework encompass the absolute prohibition of mine use, the destruction of stockpiles, the systematic clearance of contaminated areas within mandated timelines, and transparent progress reporting. Failure to mark hazardous zones, remove explosive threats, or adequately inform affected populations constitutes a direct breach of these obligations, unnecessarily exposing civilians to preventable harm.

In parallel, the international community must intensify its support for mine action programs through sustained financial commitments, technology transfer, and capacity-building initiatives targeting national actors. Effective mine clearance requires coordinated global engagement, including support for demining teams, medical response systems, and rehabilitation services for survivors. Without such partnerships, progress will remain limited and uneven across the most affected regions.

Recognition is also due to the efforts of civil society organizations, governmental bodies, and international agencies working in mine clearance and risk education, as well as to field deminers who operate under extreme conditions to safeguard their communities. Their work represents a critical frontline defense against a persistent and often invisible threat.

A recalibration of priorities is urgently required, centered on:

·       Ensuring adequate and sustainable funding for mine risk education as an immediate life-saving intervention.

·       Integrating risk awareness into school curricula and community protection frameworks, particularly in high-risk areas.

·       Developing and implementing continuous, targeted national media campaigns based on clear, accessible messaging.

·       Producing and disseminating accurate, regularly updated maps of contaminated areas, and ensuring their accessibility to affected populations.

·       Strengthening compliance with international legal obligations, including accountability mechanisms for violations related to the use of landmines.

Landmines are not merely remnants of past conflicts; they represent an enduring manifestation of policy failure, lack of accountability, and insufficient preventive action. Protecting civilian lives begins with knowledge, and delays in awareness efforts translate directly into preventable loss of life.

Released by:

Women Journalists Without Chains

April 4, 2026