Yugoslavia;
ICRC Steps Up Mine Awareness Campaign
ICRC teams in southern Serbia have stepped up their efforts to warn
the population of the threat posed by mines and unexploded ordnance,
the dangerous legacy of recent violence which has already claimed the
lives of five people in the area and injured several more.
The easing of tension
in and around the so-called Ground Safety Zone has prompted farmers
to start tending their fields again and displaced families to return
home. This has heralded a new problem, since members of these groups,
and especially children, are the most likely to be injured by mines
and unexploded ordnance.
To respond to the
danger, the ICRC has expanded its existing mine-awareness programme
in the schools so as to reach as many schoolchildren as possible before
the end of the term. In addition, all relief beneficiaries are receiving
mine-awareness leaflets and posters, and local TV and radio stations
have agreed to broadcast an ICRC public information campaign.
The ICRC is also
actively recruiting and training volunteers from the Yugoslav Red Cross
and the local community in order to ensure that the message reaches
as many people as possible.
http://www.icrc.org/icrceng.nsf/
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