Cluster bombs are indiscriminate
They cannot differentiate between military personnel and civilians. A single cluster bomb can scatter hundreds of submunitions over an area as big as several football pitches. When these submunitions explode, they blast out hundreds of metal fragments, killing or severely injuring anyone in the area - military or civilian.
They are unpredictable, due to their mechanisms and high failure rate
- © Handicap International
Unlike landmines, which are not designed to explode straight away, but later when stepped on or disturbed, submunitions are supposed to explode immediately after release, when they hit the ground. However, their detonation mechanism often fails and many submunitions do not explode on impact.
Studies indicate that a significant percentage of submunitions, between 5 and 40%, do not explode on impact. These will remain on the ground, in trees or on rooftops where they present the same danger as landmines because they can explode at the slightest touch. They pose a deadly threat to civilians who may come into contact with submunitions during daily activities (farming, reconstruction of areas devastated by war...).
Children are particularly at risk, as they are often attracted to bright colour and interesting shape of certain submunitions. 27% of the recorded victims are children, of which 85-90% are boys aged 5-15 years old.
It is estimated that 100,000 people have been victims of cluster munitions since 1965.
They cause horrific injuries
Innocent people lose lives and limbs through cluster bombs every day. 98 percent of the recorded victims of cluster munitions are civilans.
The fragments of exploding submunitions travel at high velocity. When they strike they set off pressure waves within the body, which do horrific damage to soft tissue and organs. Even a single fragment can rupture a person's spleen, or cause the intestines to explode.
If a victim survives the accident, they are often left with serious injuries. They may lose arms, legs, hands, or feet in the accident, leading to lifelong disability. They may also suffer multiple puncture wounds, ruptured eardrums, and blindness.
As a weapon designed to terrorise, accidents leave victims and their families battling with psychological trauma as well as their injuries. Victims can experience a loss of identity and and may find it difficult to take part in community life, or access the services they need. They may even experience discrimination on the basis of their disability.
How do accidents happen?
- Child injured by a cluster munition, Cambodia © Handicap International
In many countries accidents occur when people attempt to move unexploded devices. In 60% of cases, the accident took place during a person's daily activities, such as going to school, farming or collecting firewood.
Civilians may try to move these dangerous weapons for many different reasons. For many people, farming is their only source of income and they may try to clear their land so that they can plant crops again. Sometimes accidents can happen when land is cleared to make way for new housing.
Accidents also occur when people try to clear their local area of cluster munitions to prevent their children from finding them and playing with them. In poor communities, it is common for civilians to salvage military debris like cluster munitions for their saleable scrap metal.
> Survivors tell their stories, in their own words
