Land Mines Essay, Research Paper

Land mines greatly contribute to the danger of international security because they are used as military weapons. Because land mines have caused great destruction there has been an effort from international and non-governmental organizations to ban mines and clear areas infected with them. Land mines have become a humanitarian issue because they have and still are taking the lives of innocent civilians. The Treaty of Ottawa officially banned the use of land mines. Yet supporters of the treaty know better than to assume they are victorious. The following essay will address the necessary obligations for a final victory and reveal why land mines are a threat to international security.

The UN has estimated there have been more than 100 million land mines in sixty-two countries (Boutros-Ghali). They are the weapon of choice for many militaries because they are cheap, accessible, and easy to use. Land mines are also known as hidden killers because it is not possible to discover where they are or how many there are. After wars are over, the land mines remain, threatening the peace and rebuilding of societies. More and more victims are civilians who endure excessive harm or death. ?Every 22 minutes a person is harmed from a land mine. And since 1975 there have been more than one million casualties? (Department of Foreign