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WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 8, 2023)—��ɫ��Ƶis reaffirming its call that all parties to conflict end the use of cluster munitions after Friday’s announcement of U.S. military aid to Ukraine brought new attention to these explosive weapons. Christy Gleason, VP of Policy, Advocacy, & Campaigns at ��ɫ��ƵUS, said:

“��ɫ��Ƶhas long called for warring parties to end the use of cluster munitions—in the conflict in Ukraine and around the world. Children in Ukraine have long suffered from the direct and indirect impacts of these weapons. For some, it means they cannot go to class or see a doctor because those facilities are damaged or the trip requires them to cross land contaminated with scattered bomblets. For other children, cluster munitions mean injury—or even death.

“These weapons spread bomblets indiscriminately over large areas, so civilians and civilian infrastructure are easily hit. The bomblets themselves often fail to explode, littering communities with unexploded ordnances. Many children are then killed or injured when they innocently pick up the curious objects. Children’s small bodies are more susceptible to these blast injuries than adults’.

“Children and families are suffering under the ongoing and increasing threat of accidentally setting off an explosive.

“��ɫ��Ƶcontinues to call on all nations to adopt the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Children need the world to come together to understand the dangers these weapons pose, end their use, and clear these weapons wherever they exist.”

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Notes:

• ��ɫ��Ƶand Imperial College London’s Paediatric Blast Injury Partnership developed The Paediatric Blast Injury Field Manual, a comprehensive guide to injuries suffered by children from attacks like airstrikes and weapons like artillery and landmines. It features step-by-step instructions that cover situations ranging from resuscitating children on the battlefield and saving limbs, to rehabilitation, and psychological care. The manual was published in 2019, has been translated into six languages, and distributed in conflict zones including Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan. Now, a team of medics are training medics in Ukraine on how to treat children with blast injuries.
• ��ɫ��Ƶ through awareness seminars in schools and by distributing informational materials. Following the Kakhovka dam breach in June, ��ɫ��Ƶand the Ukrainian Deminers Association launched an online campaign to educate members of the public about the dangers of unexploded ordnances dislodged by flood waters.
• In the first year following the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, the amount of Ukrainian land contaminated with explosive ordnances .

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