Survivors Unite to Ban Cluster Munitions
By Tracey Begley, Survivor Corps
Survivor Corps is a network of people helping each other overcome the effects of war and violence. The organization provides support to survivors and also campaigns to prevent future victimization. Survivor Corps is one of the leading organizations in the international Campaign to Ban Cluster Munitions, a weapon of which an estimated 80% of the victims are civilians. Cluster munitions were most recently used in the conflict between Russia and Georgia in August of 2008, causing more than a dozen civilian deaths so far.
Survivor Corps' formula for survivorship and resilience is detailed in I Will Not Be Broken: Five Steps to Overcoming a Life Crisis
1. Face Facts—about suffering and loss
2. Choose Life—living for the future, not in the past
3. Reach Out—by connecting to others who have "been there"
4. Get Moving—by setting goals and taking action for a healthy recovery
5. Give Back—with gratitude by contributing to your community and the world
In the book, Jerry demonstrates through a collection of survivor stories from all walks of life how these steps apply, whether the crisis is cancer, a natural disaster, or the wounds and losses of war.
One of the ways that Survivor Corps helps conflict survivors enact the last step – Give Back – is by involving them in advocacy and campaign activities that improve their communities and the world. Survivor advocates lead the charge to ensure that the Convention to Ban Cluster Munitions included provisions requiring governments to assist survivors of the weapon and their families and communities. This is the first treaty on weapons that recognizes the human rights of those affected by the weapon - a revolutionary achievement. In September, 2008 Survivor Corps will train survivor advocates from Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda to attend the Pan-Africa Conference on Cluster Munitions and encourage leaders to sign the treaty.
Cluster bombs kill and injure indiscriminately – young children, grandmothers, parents, brothers and sisters. A cluster munition is launched from the ground or dropped from an airplane. The large bombshell opens up and scatters deadly “bomblets” over an area the size of a football field. This wide area effect is one of the reasons they are so deadly to civilians-–they do not hone in on specific targets. On top of that, many of the bomblets don't explode right away as they are designed to do, leaving hundreds to thousands of active bomblets behind that kill and maim for years after the fighting is over.
Cluster bombs have been used in over thirty countries and territories, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Laos and Vietnam. They have caused thousands of preventable deaths worldwide.
The good news: Over one hundred governments, the United Nations and hundreds of non-governmental organizations support the Convention to Ban Cluster Munitions.
The bad news: The United States refused to participate in the treaty negotiations.
Members of U.S, Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Bombs (USCBL), including Survivor Corps, are pushing the U.S. government to take a more responsible position. In February of 2007 Senator Feinstein (D-CA) and Senator Leahy (D-VT) introduced the Cluster Munition Civilian Protection Act. While this legislation is not as strong as the international ban, it would reduce the threat of U.S. Cluster Munitions by banning their use in civilian areas. The bill would also prevent the U.S. military from using cluster munitions that demonstrate a failure rate of one percent or more in tests, or from exporting cluster bombs with a higher failure rate to other countries.
This bill currently has 23 co-sponsors, and the USCBL is working to get more. United States citizens can help by following this link to contact Senators, the Secretary of Defense and the Presidential candidates and ask them to support the bill. Together we can help end the injustice and suffering caused by Cluster Munitions.
