{"id":1621,"date":"2020-03-01T12:51:31","date_gmt":"2020-03-01T16:51:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/?p=1621"},"modified":"2020-03-01T13:05:34","modified_gmt":"2020-03-01T17:05:34","slug":"united-states-campaign-to-ban-landmines-joint-statement-on-the-trump-administrations-new-landmine-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/?p=1621","title":{"rendered":"UNITED STATES CAMPAIGN TO BAN LANDMINES: Joint Statement on the Trump Administration’s New Landmine Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"march-washington\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In response to the January 31st\u00a0announcement by the White House<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0the Department of Defense\u2019s new landmine policy<\/a>, we, the undersigned organizations, strongly condemn the Trump Administration\u2019s decision to lift existing United States prohibitions against the use of landmines. We urge the White House and Department of Defense (DOD) to reconsider and take steps to join the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. We urge Congress to take immediate measures to block the deployment of landmines and prohibit the development, production, or other acquisition of new antipersonnel landmines.<\/p>\n

Landmines are inherently indiscriminate weapons that maim and kill long after conflicts end. Over the past twenty years, the world has rejected antipersonnel landmines through the Mine Ban Treaty \u2013 to which 164 countries are states parties, including every other member of NATO. While still not a signatory, the U.S. has functionally adhered to several provisions of the Mine Ban Treaty \u2013 except those that would prohibit the U.S. from ordering the use of landmines on the Korean peninsula. This new landmine policy starkly sets the U.S. apart from its allies and has drawn\u00a0international condemnation<\/a>, including from the\u00a0European Union<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The United States has not used antipersonnel landmines since 1991, excluding the use of\u00a0a single munition in 2002<\/a>; it has not exported them since 1992 and has not produced them since 1997. In the last five years, only the government forces of Syria, Myanmar, and North Korea, as well as non-state actors in conflict areas,\u00a0have used landmines<\/a>. Of the more than 50 countries that once produced landmines,\u00a041 have ceased production<\/a>. Under this new landmine policy, the U.S. will rejoin a small handful of mine-producing countries. This is not company the U.S. should keep.<\/p>\n

Decades after combatants have retreated or laid down arms, landmines continue to threaten civilian lives and undermine the development of post-conflict communities. Farmers cannot farm, children cannot attend school, businesses cannot thrive, and whole communities are displaced. After mild flooding or frequent rain, previously mapped mines can be uprooted and moved to new locations, reintroducing danger to unknowing civilians and destroying the progress of previous mapping efforts.<\/p>\n

Landmines are capable of inflicting unspeakable destruction and harm on their victims \u2013 projecting metal fragments into deep wounds, destroying one or more limbs, causing burns, traumatic brain injuries, blindness and deafness, and of course fatally wounding through decapitation, blood loss or other horrific means.<\/p>\n

Landmines violate international humanitarian law and do not follow peace agreements and ceasefires. They continue to kill and maim civilians every day, with children especially vulnerable. In recent years, civilian casualties constituted\u00a071-87% of landmine and other explosive remnants of war casualties<\/a>\u00a0– with children constituting 42-54% of civilian casualties where data on age is available, according to Landmine Monitor.<\/p>\n

Efforts to enhance the \u201csafety\u201d of landmines, including the development of so-called non-persistent or \u201cself-destruct\u201d mines, ignores the fact that they remain indiscriminate. Regardless of the length of their life-span, they cannot distinguish between a combatant or a civilian while active. If the self-destruct or self-deactivation mechanisms were to fail, they would remain lethal and the potential exists for the components to be repurposed into improvised explosive devices.<\/p>\n

The way in which landmines are delivered has changed over time. Rather than being planted and mapped by hand, U.S. mines would be dropped from aircraft or deployed through artillery \u2013 indiscriminately scattering them over wide unmarked terrain. This could cause civilian harm, including to humanitarian aid workers and peacekeepers who have no way of knowing if they are in a mined area or where mines might be placed.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0International Campaign to Ban Landmines<\/a>\u00a0and its American coordinator Jody Williams received the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to bring about the Mine Ban Treaty. We are proud to be part of the mine ban movement, which continues to make a massive contribution towards global peace and security. Under the provisions of the Treaty, large swaths of territories have been cleared and put back to productive uses. While there are still too many casualties annually, we have seen a dramatic decline since the Treaty came into being. To roll back the progress the global community has made would not only be a tragedy but an affront to the dignity of landmine survivors around the world.<\/p>\n

Signed,<\/p>\n

United States Campaign to Ban Landmines<\/a>\u00a0member organizations:<\/em><\/p>\n

American Friends Service Committee<\/p>\n

Amnesty International USA<\/p>\n

Arms Control Association<\/p>\n

Center for Civilians in Conflict<\/p>\n

Church of the Brethren, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy<\/p>\n

Doctors of the World USA<\/p>\n

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America<\/p>\n

Friends Committee on National Legislation<\/p>\n

Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ<\/p>\n

Human Rights Watch<\/p>\n

Humanity & Inclusion<\/p>\n

Jesuit Refugee Service<\/p>\n

Landmines Blow!<\/p>\n

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns<\/p>\n

National Council of Churches<\/p>\n

Physicians for Human Rights<\/p>\n

Presbyterian Church (USA)<\/p>\n

PSALM: Proud Students Against Landmines and Cluster Bombs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Roots of Peace<\/p>\n

Saferworld, Washington Office<\/p>\n

The United Methodist Church \u2013 General Board of Church and Society<\/p>\n

Washington Office on Latin America<\/p>\n

West Virginia Campaign to Ban Landmines<\/strong><\/p>\n

Women’s Action for New Directions<\/p>\n

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom<\/p>\n

Other U.S. organizations:<\/em><\/p>\n

Alliance for Peacebuilding<\/p>\n

Association of University Centers on Disabilities<\/p>\n

Central United Church of Christ<\/p>\n

Childhood Education International<\/p>\n

Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach<\/p>\n

CORE Group<\/p>\n

DC Voters for Animals<\/p>\n

Educators’ Institute for Human Rights<\/p>\n

The Episcopal Church<\/p>\n

Global Campaign for Education-US<\/p>\n

Global Communities<\/p>\n

Global Health Partners<\/p>\n

HealthRight International<\/p>\n

Health Volunteers Overseas<\/p>\n

Hesperian Health Guides<\/p>\n

Human Rights First<\/p>\n

InterAction<\/p>\n

International Eye Foundation<\/p>\n

Latin America Working Group<\/p>\n

Medicines for Humanity<\/p>\n

Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Washington Office<\/p>\n

Mercy Corps<\/p>\n

National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd<\/p>\n

Nonviolence International<\/p>\n

Norwegian Refugee Council USA<\/p>\n

Peace Direct<\/p>\n

Physicians for Social Responsibility<\/p>\n

Plan International USA<\/p>\n

Rukmini Foundation<\/p>\n

SEEP Network<\/p>\n

Union for Reform Judaism<\/p>\n

United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries<\/p>\n

United Starts Campaign for Burma<\/p>\n

Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict<\/p>\n

Win Without War<\/p>\n

Women in International Security (WIIS)<\/p>\n

Women’s Refugee Commission<\/p>\n

World Renew<\/p>\n

Wote Youth Development Projects<\/p>\n

Non-U.S. organizations:<\/em><\/p>\n

AWO International e.V.<\/p>\n

Centre for Adolescents and Women’s Health Initiative (CAWHI), Ghana<\/p>\n

Conflict and Environment Observatory<\/p>\n

Human Security Network in Latin America and the Caribbean Region (SEHLAC)<\/p>\n

Medecins du Monde Germany (Aerzte der Welt)<\/p>\n

PAX<\/p>\n

Public Policy Association (APP), Argentina<\/p>\n

War Child<\/p>\n

ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

HI\u2019s petition\u00a0 https:\/\/www.hi-us.org\/landmine_petition<\/p>\n

Arms Control Association https:\/\/www.armscontrol.org\/2020-02\/take-action-tell-congress-ban-new-us-landmine-use<\/p>\n

Win Without War http:\/\/act.winwithoutwar.org\/sign\/tell-congress-ban-landmine-use\/?source=tw<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In response to the January 31st\u00a0announcement by the White House\u00a0of\u00a0the Department of Defense\u2019s new landmine policy, we, the undersigned organizations, strongly condemn the Trump Administration\u2019s decision to lift existing United States prohibitions against the use of landmines. We urge the White House and Department of Defense (DOD) to reconsider and take steps to join the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-announcements"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1621"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1621\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1626,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1621\/revisions\/1626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wvcbl.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}