Almost all of those killed and maimed are civilians, often women and children, and nearly always after the cessation of the active hostilities. Mines have an average life span of fifty to one hundred years. Because of their low metallic content, many are nearly undetectable. It goes without saying that anti-personnel mines are indiscriminate, hidden killers and constitute one of the greatest public safety hazards. For millions of people, anti- personnel mines are the biggest threat in their daily lives because every step they take could literally be their last.
Mines also frustrate post-war reconstruction in a score of countries.
Resources, which should be used to rebuild schools and hospitals, are instead diverted to land mine clearance. Please take constructive actions by signing the petitions to ban land mines from our planet. The fifty-two poorest countries in the world are in urgent need of debt cancellation. In aggregate, these 52 countries combined pay the same amount in debt service as they spend on health care and education combined. Only about ten per cent of the debt is owed to private banks.