This week has reminded me why I decided to take a break from my current path as a consultant and returning to my roots- development work. Leaving Vancouver did not strike me as being a big deal mainly because I have been living out of a suitcase for the last two years. But, arriving in Ottawa has renewed my faith that I have made the right choice.
Well, if most of you don't know by now, I left Vancouver last week to take up an internship position with the Canadian government. I will be working as the Program Support Officer in India for Mines Action Canada, with their partner Society for All Round Development (SARD). That means, I am moving to Delhi for the next 5 months. And no, I don't intend to get married or run away to Mumbai to become a Bollywood star! This decision to join the Mines Action Campaign has been a goal that I have been working to attain for the last couple of years.
You all may be wondering why have I decided to do this? Well, it's because Canadians have played the role of a leader in spearheading the Campaign to ban landmines which resulted in the Ottawa Treaty. It is definitely something to be proud of! As youth we still have a role to play in raising awareness and pushing all countries of the world to a complete ban. The Ottawa Treaty was the fastest treaty to be signed (less than a year) and ratified by 156 nations to this date. What this means is that states who sign this treaty are obligated to destroy landmine stockpiles, provide victims assistance and education and most importantly clear landmines from their territory.
Why do i want to work around the issue of mines and cluster bombs? The reason mainly is because of the human impact caused by them. These so called military utilities do more damage than any real aid. They are indiscriminate and cannot tell the difference between the footsteps of a soldier or that of a child. So, when children step or pick up these bombs (often disguised as toys in the case of cluster bombs), they are immediately affected. Most survivors claim that the lucky ones don't survive. This is mainly due to the fact that they have to live their lives as a dependants and often have to go through multiple surgeries to remove fragments and endure immense pain from their amputations. The worst part is landmines have mainly been used in developing countries that do not have the infrastructure to support them. In addition, these countries are often recovering from periods of civil war and may not exactly know where the mines are located. So, civilians returning home get a nice little surprise on their return. It is usually the young and capable workers, often breadwinners of their families, who become victims and have to deal with the stigma of being handicapped and considered burdens to their families.
This is why I find it very important issue to tackle. India to this date has not signed the treaty to ban landmines. The main reason for the use of landmines of course is to protect it's borders with Pakistan around the Line of Control. There are also separatist movements in the East where Non State Actors are laying landmines to limit the movements of the Indian soldiers. Again who are the ones being affected? It's local farmers in Punjab trying to cultivate their land or in the east poor villagers try to survive on subsistence farming. There is no real use for this military utility and I hope that by supporting SARD, I will be able to bring a human face in India to the issue of landmines and try to promote awareness across India- particularly with the Youth.
I encourage all of you find out more information on landmines and cluster munitions at www.minesactioncanada.org. This is an amazing website which will give you more insight on the landmines campaign as well as the treaty to ban cluster bombs. I encourage you to sign the people's treaty. Every signature up there is one step closer to ending the use of cluster bombs which is ten times more horrific than landmines. Cluster bombs are dropped from the air and their intent is to destroy military vehicles. However, they are highly inaccurate and often do not have self destructing capabilities. Instead, some can be disguised as toys, which when touched or even moved by the wind, can explode releasing millions of tiny fragments with the force only meant to rip through armored vehicles. You can only imagine what it can do to a human being.
Thanks for reading!
