FREE ESSAY ON LAND MINES

LAND MINES

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