My brother lost his hand while clearing the land and two children in the next village were injured. In over 60 countries throughout the world, land mines threaten the lives of children. Children in war zones are particularly vulnerable, but land mines also threaten the well being of children who are tending their family s goat herd, children who are walking to school, and children who are playing near their home. Every 20 minutes a person is killed or injured by a land mine. They may be planted in the ground by hand or scattered over a wide area by airplane or helicopter.
Land mines are plentiful.
Over 100 million are scattered over the earth, another 100 million have been stockpiled, and 5 million more are produced annually by manufacturers in over 30 countries. In most cases land mines remain active, and thus deadly, for many years. They are often called hidden killers, weapons of mass destruction in slow motion, or the soldier that never sleeps. Land mines come in different shapes, sizes, and colors. There are at least 350 types of land mines currently in use.