Ban the bombs
Cluster bombs are maiming and killing innocent people. Concern, as part of a coalition, is supporting a push to ban them for good. An international conference and online petition are the next steps.
Imagine for a moment, standing in a field in Cambodia or on a narrow street in Chechnya, or perhaps on a parched strip of land in Iraq. Around you, stretching out in all directions for many hundreds of feet, are cluster bombs.
These bombs contain many deadly explosive devices. They may not have detonated when they were originally dropped from a plane, or fired from a far-off location, but they are still live, still fatal, still waiting to explode.
The conflict may be over, but the cluster bombs, like landmines, remain. They are indiscriminate. They stop people from being able to use their land and access schools and hospitals. They can remain a threat for decades.
These are the many countries who are affected by cluster bombs. Concern, and a number of other organisations, are looking to help them.
Joining forces
The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) Ireland is a group of Irish non-governmental organisations. It is pushing for a new international treaty to ban cluster munitions by the end of 2008. The treaty will ban the use, sale and stockpiling of cluster munitions. It will assist cluster bomb survivors and their communities and also help clear contaminated land.
Ban the bombs
May is going to be a busy month. From 19 – 30 May, Ireland will be playing host to the Dublin Diplomatic Conference on Cluster Munitions. At this crucial conference negotiations will begin on the international law banning cluster munitions. More details of the conference are available here.
Do something!
The coalition needs your help too. When CMC is working on the international treaty, people like you are needed to pressure the Irish government on this issue. So, sign the petition.
And finally, the Stop Cluster Bombs site names the countries that use them, and the countries that make them.
| When? | Monday, 19th May 2008 - Friday, 30th May 2008 |
|---|---|
| Where? | Dublin, Ireland |
| Price? | Register at www.stopclusterbombs.ie |
