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2-02-2008 Cluster munitions: why we need to limit them What are cluster munitions? Where are they? Who are the victims? Why should there be a new treaty? What is the Red Cross and Red Crescent doing about it? – five special factsheets provide the answers. Cluster munitions : what are they and what is the problem? ©AP M. Zaatari
Where are cluster munitions? What is their legacy? J. Rodsted
Cluster munition victims
©AP / M. Zaatari
What is known and what is needed? There are victims of cluster munitions in at least 21 States and four areas of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. A 2007 study published by Handicap International confirmed 13,306 deaths and injuries due to cluster munitions. Men were found to be the most frequent victims, followed by children, who are often attracted by the shape, size and colour of cluster munitions. Boys are particularly at risk due to the activities they are often assigned in rural communities (such as farming and herding). Women make up a smaller percentage of cluster munition victims in most of the contaminated areas.Survivors of cluster munition incidents will often have serious blast or fragment injuries. They will frequently need long term treatment and rehabilitation, which will include medical care, physical rehabilitation, psycho-social support and socio-economic reintegration.
Why do we need a new treaty?
©AFP K. Sahib
Despite the existing rules of international humanitarian law (IHL), cluster munitions have caused significant civilian casualties in the conflicts in which they have been used. Better implementation of IHL, including the recently adopted Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War, will not fully resolve the problems caused by these weapons. The ICRC believes that specific rules on cluster munitions are needed and that, as a matter of urgency, the international community should conclude a new treaty that would prohibit the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of inaccurate and unreliable cluster munitions; require the elimination of current stocks of these weapons and provide for victim assistance, the clearance of cluster munitions and activities to minimize the impact of these weapons on civilian populations.
What is the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement doing to reduce the impact on civilians?
©ICRC / M. Kokic
To reduce the humanitarian consequences of cluster munitions, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement promotes new norms, works in affected communities to reduce the effects of these weapons, and helps people who have been injured by them. The ICRC is actively engaged in all multilateral discussions on cluster munitions, and many National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are encouraging their governments to review national laws and policies and support new international rules on these weapons. The ICRC and National Societies undertake a range of activities to reduce the impact on civilians of weapon contamination, including unexploded cluster munitions. These include incident-data gathering, risk education, and measures to facilitate safe access to food, water and fuel in contaminated areas. The ICRC provides assistance to cluster munition victims through its support for first-aid services (often run by National Societies), surgery and physical rehabilitation.
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