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”