The students will hold a rally at Wilfrid Laurier University at noon on April 4 to raise awareness about the continuing problem of landmines.   We here at CLMF would like to congratulate the students for being so involved in such an important issue.  It was ordinary Canadians like them who helped push the world to action and sign a ban against Landmines 13 years ago.  Now, a new generation is stepping to continue to rid the world of these terrible weapons.

MCpl. Mark R. Isfeld:

Many Canadians have served on several international missions in the course of their careers, repeatedly fulfilling their duties against the constant background of danger. One example of this special effort comes from Master Corporal Mark Isfeld. He was a combat engineer who served in three peace missions before losing his life in a landmine explosion in Croatia in 1994.

While serving overseas Mark was known for giving children in war-torn regions handmade dolls that his mother crocheted. These ‘Izzy dolls’ brought a smile and a glimmer of hope to children facing tremendous hardship. Mark’s legacy continues and thousands of these dolls have been crocheted and donated by people all across Canada. The dolls are distributed to Canadian soldiers who in turn give them to children in war-torn countries. This kind and generous act by countless Canadians keeps MCpl. Isfeld’s tradition alive.

Interested in submitting an essay for this year’s contest?

Deadline: 30 April 2012 (DEADLINE EXTENDED)

Guidelines: Participants must be 14 – 18 years old.   Essays are limited to between 250 – 500 words. ALL SUBMISSIONS must include a cover page with your full name, date of birth, hometown, mailing address, school currently enrolled in, and word count.

E-Mail your submission to : admin@canadianlandmine.org

or

Post: Canadian Landmine Foundation
c/o LCMSDS Wilfrid Laurier University,
266 Marsland Dr.,
Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z1

The question: What is a peacekeeper, peacemaker?

Why does it matter that we have peacekeepers and peacemakers in our communities? You have an opportunity to explore these ideas in your submission for the Mark R. Isfeld Essay Contest.

Mark Isfeld is a great example of a heroic Canadian peacemaker. Mark was a courageous Canadian who worked to clear landmines in war-torn countries. Tragically, while on a peacekeeping mission in Croatia in 1994, Mark lost his life to a landmine. He sacrificed his life in the pursuit of peace.

Mark is just one example. Peacemakers exist throughout Canada, in our cities, towns and local communities. You may have peacekeepers living with you in your home.

In honour of Mark, the Canadian Landmine Foundation wants YOU to submit an essay and tell us what characterizes a peacemaker?

To help you in this process, you can learn about individuals in your community or prominent Canadians that have embodied peacemaking and tell us about them. What have they done to bring about peace to their community, the country and the world? Why do you admire them?

By doing this, YOU will have an opportunity to learn about positive role models that are dedicated to achieving a better world. Building strong commitments to peace internationally must start with an individual’s dedication to peace at home.

Open to all Canadian residents between the ages of 14 and 18. Essays may be submitted in either official language.

Meals for a Mine Free World (Formerly Night of 1000 Dinners)

We decided we needed to find a unique way to raise funds; to assist countries to meet their international obligations. So we created an event, we thought… the best fundraisers are high-end dinners, people wear fancy clothes and they go to fancy places and they pay fancy prices and they raise an awful lot of money. And we thought well we don’t know those people, so let’s do the opposite. So anybody can have a dinner, invite friends and neighbours into their own home, friends and neighbours come and instead of wine, or flowers, or dessert, they bring a donation. That has raised well over 4 million dollars; we have undertaken 92 projects in 12 countries using that money. – Former CLMF CEO and President Scott Fairweather explains the concept behind “Meals for A Mine-Free World.”

Meals for a Mine-Free World—or “Night of 1000 Dinners”—has been a significantly successful program designed to encourage the average person to host their own fundraising dinners. The flexibility of the program has allowed for unique ways to raise awareness and proceeds to the CLMF. In 2008 for example, the CLMF recognized Earth Hour by serving dessert under candlelight.

Below is a video of Scott Fairweather’s speech on the first Meals for a Mine-Free World dinner in 2009 (the tenth anniversary of the ratification of the Ottawa Treaty).

Adopt a Minefield

In 2000, the CLMF partnered with the UN’s Adopt-A-Minefield program where individuals or groups could donate to the clearing of a minefield. These minefields were typically 10,000 to 60,000 sq m in size and cost on average $40,000 to clear. Areas in Cambodia, Croatia, Mozambique, Afghanistan, Vietnam and Bosnia were cleared under the program. The Adopt-A-Minefield program also gained the support of celebrities such as Paul McCartney and has raised over $17 million internationally.

Canine Demine

Dogs have become an increasingly important means of detecting and removing mines (pictured below). Given the popularity of plastic and minimum-metal mines, a dog’s ability to detect the scent of explosives has been a valuable commodity. According to dog training expert Sid Murray, a North American football field would take three dogs approximately three days to clear. Manual demining with detectors on the other hand, would take at least three months.

A German Shepherd Dog’s incredible sense of smell, loyalty, and their weight distribution allows them to move through minefields and detect explosives without coming into direct contact with them. There has never been a Canadian trained dog killed or injured in demining efforts. To date, 17 dogs have been trained by the CLMF and CIDC.

Canine Demine is also a good opportunity for youth and schools to become active in landmine clearing. In the past, schools and youth clubs across Canada have contributed to the training of mine detection dogs. Students at Crestfield School in Edmonton were able to raise enough funds to train a single dog which they named Trooper.

Peacekeeping

The CLMF’s connection to peacekeeping began early on and was a natural connection given the nature of landmines, the Ottawa Treaty, and Canada’s reputation as a peacekeeping nation. Since its inception, the CLMF has honoured and recognized International Peacekeeping Day on August 9 every year. As former CEO and President Scott Fairweather stated “humanitarian mine action is an action of peacekeeping.” This is because long after governments and combatants declare a war to be over, for the people living on former battlefields, that war continues for decades. The clearing of a minefield means the building of peace and the final stages in ending a conflict. Regions that are still affected by landmines after war cannot rebuild and live in peace until the mines are cleared.

Past events to recognize Peacekeeping Day include the “Peacekeepers Day Yard Sale” in 2006 which marked the 50th anniversary of “modern day peacekeeping in Canada.” The campaign encouraged Canadians to hold yard sales dedicated to raising funds for mine action projects. The nearly three-month campaign was designed to coincide with International Peacekeeping Day and in addition to funding the foundation, also raised awareness to “Canada’s leadership role in peacekeeping.”

Watch the video below to see Fairweather explain the CLMF’s connection to peacekeeping.

What You Can Do

Take Imitative
You can become active in one of the programs mentioned above, such as hosting or organizing your own “Meals for a Mine-Free World” event. Host a dinner and ask your guests to bring charitable donations to help clear landmine fields.

If you work in education, the CLMF offers lesson plans designed to educate students on the landmines issue. Fundraising opportunities include the Canine Demine program, where schools can donate to the training of a mine detection dog. High-school students should also be encouraged to submit an essay to the Mark Isfield Essay Contest. Mark was a Canadian combat engineer who lost his life in 1994 while clearing a landmine field in Croatia. To help raise awareness to Canada’s peacekeeping and demining efforts, the CLMF is asking students ages 14 to 18 to answer the question “What is a peacekeeper, peacemaker?”

Get Creative
Donours are not limited to the above ideas. There are many ways in which you can encourage people to donate or raise awareness. In March 2008 for example, Law Students from University of New Brunswick held a charity boxing match to “knock out landmines.” All donations went to the CLMF. The story was covered in the local newspaper, helping raise awareness to the CLMF and the landmine issue in addition to raising funds.

Donate!
Above all, the CLMF depends on donations. While the programs explained above are excellent ways to encourage donations and raise awareness, a simple individual donation can go a long way. Become a monthly  donour and help save lives. The CLMF also offers “Give the Gift of a Changed Life.” A memorable episode of Seinfeld saw George Costanza hand out phony donation cards to coworkers as Christmas gifts, hilarity ensued. This was unethical and fraudulent for sure, but handing out donations as gifts is actually a great idea. These donations can help assist victims in their recovery, including surgery, the purchasing of prosthetic limbs, counseling and rehabilitation.

The signing of the Ottawa Treaty was a major step in the right direction, and it could not have been possible without the significant media attention landmines received in the 1990s and the public support. But landmines continue to be a serious problem. Each year, mines maim and kill thousands of people across the globe. The only way this issue can ever be resolved is through continued awareness and mine clearance.  As Lloyd Axworthy stated upon the CLMF’s foundation “…governments cannot do it alone. Individuals and groups of Canadians must continue to be active in pursuing land mine activities….[the CLMF’s] aim is to create a sustaining fund to which individuals and corporations can contribute to help eradicate land mines and ease the human suffering they cause. It will encourage Canadians to maintain the lead and set the example for demining efforts across the globe.” With your help we can make this possible.

An American sergeant removing a fuse from a Russian mine in a mine field outside of Fallujah, Iraq, June 25, 2003.

In my previous post I outlined the movement to ban antipersonnel mines in the 1990s. After the signing of the Ottawa Treaty, countries participating destroyed stockpiles of millions of AP mines. But the treaty did not ban landmines of all types. The movement was focused primarily on this specific subset of landmines, which unlike their counterparts, specifically target individuals and are most devastating to innocent civilians. A significant percentage of landmine casualties are the result of antipersonnel landmines. In Mozambique from 1980-1993 for example, over eighty-percent of all landmine casualties were caused by antipersonnel mines. A more recent study looking at the impact of explosive remnants of war (ERWs) in 60 states/regions indicated that in 2010 alone, ERWs caused 4,191 causalities with landmines being the largest contributor (71%). Of the landmines causing injury or death, antipersonnel mines had the highest percentage (34%), with victim-activated IEDs (18%), anti-vehicular mines (10%), and mines of “an unspecified type,” (9%) making up the rest.

Several factors have contributed to the excess of AP mines across the globe. Their low cost and light-weight has made them a popular weapon among guerrillas, terrorists and insurgents. As a strategic weapon, they are and have been used for a variety of reasons including the blocking off of strategic resources, slowing down enemy advances, and inflicting injury and death to strain enemy medical supplies and damage their morale. Unfortunately, their long shelf-life and inability to  distinguish between combatants and civilians has allowed them to kill and maim for decades after their initial deployment. For all these reasons, antipersonnel mines have acquired the label of “weapons of mass destruction in slow motion.”

Initially, landmines were designed to target armored vehicles but in the latter-half of the twentieth century mines became increasingly popular as weapons against people. Hence the designation between anti-vehicular or anti-tank mines and antipersonnel mines (AP mines). Anti-tank mines require a more significant force to activate, usually between 100 and 300 kg of pressure and target (as the name suggests) armoured vehicles. In contrast, antipersonnel mines will detonate under 5 to 50 kg of pressure. To put this into perspective, the average adult weighs approximately 65 to 86 kg. This makes AP mines extremely sensitive and dangerous to human beings.

Antipersonnel mines can generally be divided into two types: blast mines and fragmentation mines. The former are activated via direct contact by the victim (i.e. stepping on the mine). Fragmentation mines are detonated by a trip wire, and propel shards of metal over vast distances. Blast mines are usually distinguishable by their size and the amount of TNT contained. They are not designed or intended to immediately kill their victims, but inflict serious injury or amputation, causing stress to military and medical resources. For instance, smaller blast mines will typically result in damage or amputation to a victim’s foot or leg, according to surgeon Gino Strada, rarely do these types of blast mines cause injuries above the knee. Larger blast mines on the other hand, can damage the groin, opposite leg, buttocks, abdomen or chest. Victims of blast mines will usually require amputation, but the wounds can often be fatal if an artery is damaged. If the victim does not receive appropriate medical attention, they risk bleeding out, going into hemorrhagic shock, or succumbing to infection from grass, mud or even fragments of their clothing and flesh that become lodged into the wound. (To see examples of injuries caused by blast mines, click here, and here. Below is a video of a soldier detonating a blast mine. WARNING: both the images and the video contain graphic material depicting actual wounds inflicted by landmines).

Further Reading:

Boutros-Gahli, Boutros. “The Landmine Crisis: A Humanitarian Disaster.” Foreign Affairs 73 (October 1994): 8-13.

Strada, Gino. “The Horror of Landmines.” Scientific American. May 1996

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) 1996. “Anti-personnel Landmines: Friend or Foe? A Study of the Military Use and Effectiveness of Anti-personnel mines.” Geneva: ICRC.

Eric Stover, James C. Cobey, and Jonathan Fine. (2000). “The public health effects of land mines: Long-term consequences for civilians.” In Barry S. Levy and Victor W. Sidel (Eds.), War and Public Health. Washington, DC. American Public Health Association.

The reasons for “why Canada?” are complex, but there are several historical forces to consider that can help one better appreciate the Canadian connection. First, it is important to know why the landmines issue was such a hot topic in the 1990s, which had much to do with the legacy of the Cold War and its impact on humanitarian organizations. During the Cold War mines were a weapon of choice among combatants due to their low costs, and were often provided for free to guerrilla groups and regimes that received U.S. or Soviet backing. But even after the fall of the USSR, the mines remained in the Earth, and blocked important land and resources to communities that were attempting to rebuild. Fields needed for agriculture, and regions surrounding sources of water, were cut off from villages that relied on them for sustenance. Poverty stricken countries recovering from war were therefore in demand for food and medical aid that they could not afford or produce on their own. Unfortunately, minefields also provide additional danger and obstacles to humanitarian groups attempting to assist regions in need of support. It is not surprising then that a movement to ban landmines gained significant momentum in the post Cold War era. Humanitarian groups operating in this context required knowledge of the issues posed by landmines, thus creating awareness in the international community. To further grasp the connection between humanitarian activism and landmines, consider the following example. In 1998, a year after the signing of the Mine Ban Treaty, the Canadian government pledged 3.7 million to Central America to provide immediate and urgent assistance to demining efforts in the region. The reason for the increase was brought on by Hurricane Mitch. The hurricane, causing mudslides and flooding across Honduras and Nicaragua had spread landmines to unpredictable areas. In order to provide appropriate aid to the stricken communities, increased awareness and resources to the demining process were necessary. The importance of humanitarianism cannot be understated. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which started the banning process in the early 1990s, was a coalition of originally six humanitarian organizations (this number has now grown to over 1,000). The final product—the Ottawa Treaty—was quite possibly the first treaty to “blend arms control and international humanitarian law.”

How the humanitarian movement translated into international law is another story. This was made possible by the role of Non-Government Organizations who found sympathy from a Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister committed to a foreign policy based on peacekeeping and human security. Considering the success of the Treaty and the amount of countries that ratified it, it is easy to take it for granted. But the Ottawa Treaty never would have been realized if it weren’t for the pressure of NGOs, the support of the Canadian public, and Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy’s bold and controversial decision to push for the ban outside of the United Nations. As Cameron Maxwell explains in his book To Walk Without Fear “It was easy to present the issue to the public in terms of a simple moral and political choice: to keep a weapon based on limited military utility or ban it on the grounds of massive and indiscriminate humanitarian costs.” Indeed this was the position of the NGOs, and it found support from a public that wanted Canadian foreign policy to emphasize peace building. But “the ban would not have been achieved” Maxwell continues, “had Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy been unwilling to go out on a diplomatic limb.” After negotiations failed to materialize at the U.N.’s Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) due to opposition from the United States, Russia and China, Canada invited anyone interested in continuing the discussion to a separate meeting. On 2 October 1996, Canada shocked the world by announcing the destruction of two-thirds of its AP stockpile and Axworthy’s launching of the Ottawa Process, which called for a full ban to be signed by December 1997.

States in Blue have signed the Treaty

But the effort to ban landmines goes beyond the signing of the treaty, nor is the effort solely the responsibility of the governments who signed it. As Kenneth R. Rutherford explains in his book Disarming States, the movement was “the first time that civilized society…found a partnership with governments around the world to eliminate a conventional weapon.” Essentially, the movement came from the bottom up, where Non-Government Organizations actually spearheaded the cause, created support among the populace, and influenced government policy. A unique partnership between citizens and government to “raise awareness and funds to end the human and economic suffering caused by anti-personnel landmines” necessitates both parties to participate. This requires states to stop the production and use of landmines, but it also requires the detection and destruction of existing mines, as well as victim assistance. The achievement of the latter goals has been a domain of NGOs such as the CLF who, throughout its history, have held numerous types of charitable events to raise funds for demining efforts. As others have noted, the banning of landmines found strong support in Canada because NGOs provided Canadians with agency in an arena that was traditionally the domain of the state. No longer did the stockpiling, use and effects of military weapons need to be outside of the average citizen’s control. By becoming active with NGOs and the movement to ban landmines, individuals could participate in ideals of peacekeeping, humanitarianism and global security, in regions that were thousands of miles away from home.

As the recent revolutions across the Middle East have shown, the information age has been a significant force in promoting a global society. The further eradication of landmines can only be achieved by gathering support of individuals across the globe. In the blog posts that follow, readers will be given an in-depth look at the landmines issue, the damages they inflict and what they can do to get involved. It is the goal of this blog to raise awareness to the issues and encourage the reader to take up the cause of the Ottawa Treaty, and help rid the world of a hidden killer.

Further Reading:

Ban Landmines! The Ottawa process and the International Movement to Ban Landmines. Canada. Dept. of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Mine Action Team.

Cameron, Maxwell A., Robert J. Lawson and Brian W. Tomlin (eds). To Walk Without Fear: The Global Movement to Ban Landmines. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Louis, Maresca and Stuart Casey-Maslen. The Banning of Anti-Personnel Landmines the Legal Contribution of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2000.

Rutherford, Ken. Disarming States: the International Movement to Ban Landmines. Santa Barbara: Praeger, 2011.

Rutherford, Ken. “The Evolving Arms Control Agenda: Implications of the Role of NGOs in Banning Antipersonnel Landmines.” World Politics 53, No. 1. (October 2000), 74-11.

Williams, Jody. Banning Landmines: Disarmament, Citizen Diplomacy, and Human Security. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2008.

 Through the generous support of its attendees and a silent auction, the Foundation raised $30,000 in a single night!  We would like to thank everyone who came out and our sponsors, the Bank of Montreal and Manulife Financial, who helped make the night possible.  Through events like these Canadians can continue to come together and help the countless victims around the world that fear their own land and cannot enjoy the peace we have here at home.

 Below is a video of the photos of Nick Lachance, who photographed the event for us.  If you would like to see an online album of the photos, simply follow this link.

Individuals can purchase tickets to attend the event. If organizations  wish to show their support, they are encouraged to do so through a sponsorship contribution at one of our four sponsorship levels.

Ticket information can be found in the media package included below:

Fundraiser Invitation (Click here for French version)

Fundraiser Registration Form

Sponsorship Package and Form

It has been raining almost everyday since Pauline Johns and I arrived in Cambodia three weeks ago. These rains have made a devasting impact to the lives of so many in the rural areas.

Rice crops have also been severely damaged with rice prices already on the increase – making matters even worse for the population’s poor.

Close to one million people have been affected by the present flood conditions in many rural areas and also in the cities.

The worst flooding in over a decade has claimed the lives of close to 300 people so far.  Rain is predicted for several more days.

Go to their site to read more.  We wish Lisa and Pauline all the best as they struggle to continue their efforts in such terrible conditions.  Keep safe and keep up your incredible work!

Plan the Peace

Follow Dr. Glenys A. Babcock’s research trip to the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.    Dr. Babcock is President of Pragmora, an organisation devoted to systematic research about war and its causes and leads the way in understanding a new peace movement which is “pragmatic, effective, global.”  An interesting site to read and a great story to follow.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/burmese-still-walking-on-deadly-ground-20110904-1jsfy.html