YOUTH FOCUS
How Youth are Affected by Landmines
The goal of the Youth Against War Treaty campaign is to pressure governments to ratify the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty. It aims to achieve this by collecting signatures from youth around the world to present to governments.
During
the December 1997 Ottawa Conference, Song Kosal from Cambodia and Canadian
youth Lindsay Wilcox publicly launched the People's Treaty. People
who sign the People's Treaty are invited to monitor government progress
in areas of ratification, compliance, clearance and victim assistance,
and they are encouraged to take part in advocacy campaigns to ensure that
governments join the treaty.
Kosal participated in the 1998 Effects of War on Children Conference in Australia, where she decided it would be an excellent idea to have a youth version of the People's Treaty. The Kids Against War Treaty was launched at the Australian conference, where Kosal collected petition signatures during school presentations.
During the 3 December 1998 treaty signing anniversary celebrations, the Kids Against War Treaty was renamed the Youth Against War Treaty so that it would appeal to a wider age range. Mines Action Canada agreed to work with Kosal to promote the Youth Against War Treaty worldwide.
From the 1999 Hague Appeal for Peace Conference in the Netherlands to the 2000 War Affected Children's Conference in Ghana, to classrooms, community groups, street corners and other places around the globe, Kosal and youth from 42 countries, collected Treaty signatures and worked to gather support for a mine-free world. The ICBL also collected thousands of signatures on the ICBL youth web page.
From 1998-2001,youth in 42 countries collected over a quarter of a million petition signatures, urging the United States government to join the Mine Ban Treaty. These signatures were delivered to the Bush administration in March 2001.
Kosal and youth around the world continue to collect signatures, pledging their support for a mine-free world.
India and Pakistan have been chosen as the new Youth Against War Treaty target countries. Both countries have used mines in three wars with each other and recently planted landmines along their shared border. The media has reported both civilian and military casualties from these newly planted mines.
The ICBL and CALM are calling on India and Pakistan to immediately stop their use of mines and declare this publicly, and to join the Mine Ban Treaty. Add your voice to the thousands of youth worldwide that are urging India and Pakistan to stop using mines - sign the Youth Against War Treaty!
For more information on the landmine situation in India and Pakistan you can read the 2001 Landmine Monitor report on India at http://www.icbl.org/lm/2001/india and the Pakistan report at http://www.icbl.org/lm/2001/pakistan. Read the Human Rights Watch backgrounder on the landmine situation in India and Pakistan at http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/arms/ind-pak-landmines.htm