Cluster munitions are large weapons deployed from the air or from the ground that scatter widely in smaller submunitions. They have been used extensively over the last 40 years in countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan. Between five per cent and 30 per cent of cluster munitions do not explode on impact. This hazardous unexploded ordnance, very often found in civilian zones, has serious consequences for communities, long after a conflict is over.
The Convention on Cluster Munitions was signed by 94 countries at the Oslo Signing Conference in December 2008. The Convention will enter into force when thirty states have ratified it. The treaty bans the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions and places obligations on countries to clear affected areas and destroy stockpiles. Another key provision of the treaty relates to victim assistance.
Survivors of cluster munitions incidents will often have serious blast or fragment injuries, requiring long -term treatment and rehabilitation. Cluster munition victims include all persons directly impacted by cluster munitions as well as their affected families and communities. The goal of victim assistance is to promote and respect the human rights, fundamental freedoms and inherent dignity of all cluster munitions victims. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provides the most comprehensive framework to address these issues. The core elements of victim assistance are: emergency and long-tem medical care; physical rehabilitation; psychological support; social and economic inclusion; data collection, disability laws and policies.
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