When they took it to the market and placed it on a scale, the metal exploded, killing 11 children. Issue Today, children in at least 68 countries live amid the contamination of more than 110 million landmines. Added to this number are millions of items of unexploded bombs, shells, and grenades which failed to detonate on impact. Imagine being afraid to play in your own back yard because there might be unexploded weapons buried or hidden in the ground.
Children are naturally curious and likely to pick up strange objects they come across.
Children may become so familiar with mines that they forget they are lethal weapons. Citizens are finding landmines such a part of daily life that they are using them for activities such as fishing, guarding private property and even settling arguments. Such familiarity dulls awareness of the dangers of these devices. About 41 countries have now stated that they are in favour of banning landmines and some have already taken concrete steps to ban the use, production and trade of the weapons and have begun to destroy their stocks. Governments should immediately ban the production, use, trade and stockpiling of landmines.