HOW DO GENDER AND
DIVERSITY RELATE TO MINEACTION?
· Mine action takes place in diverse social contexts, where differences and inequalities associatedwith gender roles and diversity factors have implications for programming.
· Organizations have learned that integrating gender and diversity considerations, such as age anddisability, into their work can have positive impacts.
· Mainstreaming different diversity factors helps mine action better address affected people’s needs
and protect their rights, making mine action more effective. It can also help to reduce genderinequalities or at least avoid exacerbating them.
· An inclusive approach to mine action can unlock professional opportunities for women and have apositive impact in their lives and in their communities.

SURVEY AND CLEARANCE
Women, girls, boys, and men may have access to different information depending on culturally genderedroles, attributed mobility patterns, daily tasks and knowledge.
In some cultures, girls are encouraged to stay close to the home with other women and girls, while boys andmen may have more responsibilities and opportunities outside the home.
Differences in occupations, daily activities and mobility patterns may lead to different exposure to risks anddifferent knowledge of contaminated areas. For example, children attending school will have knowledge ofdifferent areas of suspected contamination than children involved in agricultural activities.
In Jordan, for example, the National Committee for Demining and Rehabilitation carried out an inclusive
consultation process, in which men and women submitted information on where landmine accidents hadtaken place. The information gathered showed a clear gender differential.
In many displacement settings, women have taken over many of the household chores previously done bymen (e.g., collecting firewood or charcoal); they in turn may have additional information to inform surveys oncontamination.
Consulting widely across different groups of society can lead to more comprehensive data, which can better
inform decisions related to survey and clearance.

EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE RISK EDUCATION
Explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) programmes are more effective when they areage appropriate, gender sensitive, and especially target and reach those most at risk.

Mixed gender teams are critical for reaching those most at risk. In some cultures, women
can only be reached by other women, while some men may be more comfortable
talking to men.
In 2021, children represented 50% of civilian casualties where the age group was known.
This points to the importance of reaching children with EORE, making them aware ofmined areas by pointing out and explaining explosive ordnance warning signs, andtelling them not to touch mines or explosive remnants.
EORE for children can also involve their parents in activities that indirectly help to educatethe parents or inspire them to seek further information. In areas with high illiteracy thisapproach provides parents and communities with a valuable source of information.
‘Child-to-child’ and ‘child-to-adult’ risk communication approaches have been
adopted by different organizations as part of their EORE campaigns, for instance in Iraq,
Afghanistan and Yemen.
Gender- and age-sensitive EORE has positive impacts on social development. In
Colombia, Campaña Colombiana Contra Minas conducts sessions in indigenouscommunities which incorporate messaging on domestic violence, offering safe spaces
for women.
EORE activities directed towards young people in Colombia have also provided
opportunities for recreation through sport or theatre.

VICTIM ASSISTANCE
Women, girls, boys and men who have been injured in explosive ordnance accidents can have very different
needs, even when faced with the same type of injury. For example, it is important to have in place
gender-sensitive mental health services to help in management of post-traumatic stress disorder among
landmine survivors.
Women, girls, boys and men may face distinct challenges in accessing healthcare (including psychologicalsupport), rehabilitation, and socioeconomic inclusion opportunities due to cultural and social factors. While
such challenges are often specific to a given cultural context, men and boys more often face challenges
accessing mental health and psychosocial support services, whereas women and girls face greater barriers
to accessing physical rehabilitation and immediate and ongoing care services.
Due to gendered social and economic roles, men and boys are more likely to be killed or injured by mines.
Women and girls are more often indirect victims. Because of predominant gender norms, they are often
expected to take on a caregiving role for survivors and provide financial support for their families when themain provider is injured or killed.
Understanding and addressing these gender-specific impacts is vital to ensure the delivery of effective
victim assistance. That is why gender, but also age, disability and other diversity factors, should be taken into
account when planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating Victim Assistance.
For instance, in cases where men survivors can no longer support their families, feelings of powerlessness,sadness, anger and inadequacy may emerge. An organization working with landmine survivors in Colombia
observes that injured men tend to suffer from depression and aggressiveness, and in some cases become
violent towards family members.
Some victim-assistance operators have informally reported that sexual and reproductive health and rights ofsurvivors and persons with disabilities are not addressed due to sensitivities and cultural taboos preventing
frank discussion of these issues. The situation can be improved by the use of peer-based counselling.
For women and girls, unmet needs of rehabilitation are greater compared to men and boys according to a
study released by the consortium ReLAB-HS. Women and girls have more barriers to accessing rehabilitation,worse rehabilitation outcomes, and in low and middle-income countries are less likely to have access toassistive devices, such as wheelchairs.
Due to gendered labour markets, women survivors face additional barriers in accessing employment after anaccident. Therefore, socioeconomic support programmes must be adapted to meet the needs of women.
For direct and indirect victims, access to services is even more complicated when gender intersects withother diversity factors such as disability. For example, girl survivors and girls with disabilities are more likely tohave no opportunity to access the education system and to thrive in school, according to a study conductedin several Sahelian countries and another study conducted in Palestine.

EMPLOYMENT
Field estimates and observations indicate that mine action is a male-dominated areaof work, both at the technical and policy levels.
A 2023 survey with 11 non-governmental organizations involved in land release andlandmine clearance showed that men make up approximately 70% of the workforce,
while women represent 30% of personnel. However, this is a major step forward from2019, when the percentage of women personnel in the same sample was around 20%.
When it comes to technical roles in mine action, such as explosive ordinance disposal,
women are often severely underrepresented.
Employment of women in different roles in mine action, including operational andmanagement roles, is transformative and can contribute to women’s economic
empowerment and increased decision-making power.
Gender-responsive mine action has the potential to challenge negative stereotypes
and gender norms on the perceived limitations of women and girls and contribute to
greater gender equality. Women deminers can serve as role models in a moregender-equal work force.
Recent studies in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Sri Lanka
show that the employment of women in demining activities leads to an improvement
in women’s access to resources and services, as well as to changes in gender norms
beyond the mine action sector.
In Cambodia, gender is included in national policies and structures and disaggregatedemployment figures are consolidated at country level. Gender equality and women’sempowerment is prioritized in the National Mine Action Strategy and in the National
Guidelines for Gender Mainstreaming in Mine Action.
There are many current and previous examples from around the world of women
working as deminers, including in Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina,Cambodia, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Jordan, Kosovo, Lao
People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Mozambique, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka,Sudan, Tajikistan and Ukraine.
A 2022 study by GICHD and Fenix Insights compared the clearance rates of women andmen in clearance roles across several countries and found there to be no meaningful
difference in operational productivity or in availability to work between women andmen in field-based roles.

LEARN MORE

Visit the GICHD website
Visit UNIDIR’s Gender and Disarmament Programme website
Visit the Gender and Diversity in Mine Action Working Group website

Illustrations: NPA and GMAP/GICHD.