Playgrounds Without Mines
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Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Volume 9 Issue 2 The Journal of Mine Action Article 35 February 2006 Playgrounds Without Mines Vijorka Roseg Croatian Red Cross Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal Part of the Defense and Security Studies Commons, Emergency and Disaster Management Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, and the Peace and Conflict Studies Commons Recommended Citation Roseg, Vijorka (2006) "Playgrounds Without Mines," Journal of Mine Action : Vol. 9 : Iss. 2 , Article 35. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol9/iss2/35 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction by an authorized editor of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Roseg: Playgrounds Without Mines The post-clearance phase includes handover of CL, with its emphasis on community and commu- safe land and an evaluation of impact. CL may nication, is best used to facilitate this process. also identify stockpiles of landmines or other ex- As Figure 1(on the other page) illustrates, safety plosive devices and identify and negotiate with the is a dynamic concept, dependent on not only the appropriate people to facilitate destruction. All individual and behaviour but also the physical phases may include an MRE component and may and sociological environment. The most effective also include linking individuals and communities way to reduce risk, therefore, is to address system- with survivor assistance services and relief and de- atically the environmental and sociological issues velopment agencies. contributing to risk, thereby modifying the risk Conduct MRE and engage with at-risk popu- profile of the whole system. Playgrounds lations. Where appropriate, MAG CL teams also Table 1 provides a practical example from Laos Without Mines undertake MRE activities. These activities may of analysing risk from a socio-ecological perspec- The playground’s opening ceremony. include working with schools, training community tive. In this example, a risk behaviour, i.e., han- PHOTOCOURTESY OF ŽELJKO RED CROSS, CROATIAN / © GAŠPAROVI NOVSKA. Currently, Jo Durham is the country volunteers and using multimedia tools. dling or tampering with UXO, has been analysed New playgrounds in mine-affected sometimes a little too soon, painting their cloth- programme manager for Mines Advisory CL teams also seek to engage with high-risk using Green and Kreuter’s socio-ecological frame- ing because the paint is still wet. New benches are Group in the Lao PDR. She has worked populations that are unlikely to feel able to re- work.7 Under this paradigm, elements contributing in MRE and CL in Lao PDR, Lebanon and areas of Croatia provide a safe gath- installed for adults to relax and listen to a children’s Sudan and she holds a master’s degree in spond to MRE messages such as “don’t touch” or to risk behaviours (risk factors) can be separated recital, watch the dancing, and hear the youngest chil- international health from Curtin University “avoid these areas.” These populations are often into behavioural and non-behavioural causes of dren sing. Children are dressed in T-shirts painted of Technology, Perth, western Australia. motivated to handle or tamper with explosive mine/UXO injury as follows: ering place for children, families and with highly visible messages, such as “Children, be remnants of war for pragmatic reasons. In this • Predisposing (motivating)—knowledge, beliefs, Jo Durham aware of mines!” case, CL can take on a facilitating role to enable values and attitudes. Community Liaison Advisor the community. This local project of Official estimates from the Croatian Mine Action MAG Lao at-risk populations to identify appropriate levels • Enabling (facilitating)—those factors that en- Center show it will take until 2010 to solve Croatia’s PO Box 4660 or standards of risk and/or ways of minimising able a behaviour or situation to occur. the Croatian Red Cross helps 45 mine problem. At the time of this writing, there were Ban Naxay, Vientiane / Lao PDR risk. They can then introduce and use commu- • Reinforcing (maintaining or rewarding)— 1,174 square kilometers (453 square miles) of mine- Tel: +856 21 450 387 nity-based sanctions when community members factors that provide incentives for posi- E-mail: [email protected] communities enjoy the simple plea- affected and suspected areas with 250,000 mines in Web site: http://www.magclearsmines.org contravene those standards. tive health behaviours to be maintained. 12 counties (out of 21) in Croatia. The people cur- Reinforcement may come from an individual or rently living in or returning to the areas from which Conclusion group, from persons or institutions or society. sures of life again. they were displaced are in constant danger. Since Over the last decade, MAG has moved from As the table helps to highlight, reducing risk and 1991, there have been 1,737 mine victims in Croatia MRE interventions that focussed on the individual preventing injuries require an integrated, multi-sector by Dr. Vijorka Roseg [ Croatian Red Cross ] (including 69 children). Among these, 426 adults and expert-identified needs to a far broader and more approach based on the important structural issues and 11 children have died. n some areas of Croatia, mine contamination Since 1996, the Croatian Red Cross has con- Since 1997, Dr. Vijorka Roseg has Risk behaviour: Men and adolescent boys deliberately handle or tamper with UXO by moving, burning in-situ or opening and dismantling UXO to sell still causes serious economic and social obsta- ducted mine risk education in cooperation with the cles within the community, reduces social re- been the mine risk education program I International Committee of the Red Cross in 14 manager for the Croatian Red Cross. Predisposing factors Enabling factors Reinforcing factors covery and disables activities necessary for normal mine-contaminated counties and in 49 towns and She manages the program in 14 mine- • A belief that they have the necessary skills • Insufficient reporting of UXO • No fines or sanctions imposed against life. Until recently, carefree childhood years were municipal Red Cross branches. Sixty-five MRE- affected counties and 49 local Red and understand how to dismantle UXO • Insufficient capacity to respond to threat people who dismantle UXO or trade in abruptly interrupted by the loss of safe places to play trained instructors and local Red Cross heads are Cross branches in Croatia. • A belief that some UXO, for example BLU3, • Scrap metal and explosives from UXO can be traded military ordnance in Croatia, and formerly available facilities became providing education on and promotion of safe be- Vijorka Roseg, MD are relatively easy and safe to dismantle to supplement income • Implicit approval from authorities mere memories. • A belief that big bombs are less dangerous • Few alternative income generation activities which • Increase in the price of scrap metal havior for children and adults in order to protect MRE Program Manager than “bombies” provide similar income in return for investment and • UXO accidents through the opening of However, with the help of several donors in 2001, them from the threat they are facing. Croatian Red Cross • Ex-soldiers have experience of dismantling dwindling forest resources UXO cause the price to increase the local Vinkovci chapter of the Croatian Red Cross The MRE program of the Croatian Red Cross is Crvenog križa 14 10 000 Zagreb / Croatia UXO from the war • Vietnamese and Lao traders will purchase bomb • No micro-credit or bank lending schemes began to construct safe playgrounds for children. To one of the priorities of the national mine action sys- • People do not consider the risk that their casing and explosive once dismantled to provide villagers with the initial start-up date, 45 children’s playgrounds have been completed Tel: +385 1 4655 814 behaviour poses to others • The scrap metal trade is highly organised cash to participate in small commerce tem of the Republic of Croatia. In 2001, the Croatian Fax: +385 1 4655 365 • UXO is seen as a cash crop • Good road access (dry season) linking Vietnam, enterprise or income generation activities in 31 villages surrounding Vinkovci, and another 14 Red Cross helped to pass MRE into law. Cell: +385 98 484 089 • A belief that burning smaller types of Laos and Thailand to facilitate trade and movement • Increase of consumer goods available in Beli Manastir, Benkovac, Darda, Dvor, Gospi, Thanks to the richness of ideas, interesting E-mail: [email protected] ordnance removes the threat to their families • When UXO are reported to mine action Knin, Novska, Otočac, Pakrac, Petrinja, Sinj, Slunj, Red Cross “local projects” (like the children’s play- Web site: http://www.hck.hr and children agencies they either destroy the bomb by Topusko and Vrlika. • Cultural beliefs in karma and fatalism “high order” explosion or remove the bomb grounds) encourage exhibitions, concerts, theatre after rendering it safe, thus removing a cash The idea to construct new playgrounds to prevent in- performances, plays, sporting competitions and oth- resource from the village juries and deaths of children soon spread to other mine- er events in the community. So far, almost 100,000 contaminated areas of Croatia. Fundraising through a visitors have attended these events and learned about humanitarian action called “Watch Your Step!” and a Table 1: Using an ecological approach to analyse risk. the danger of mines. concert by the Scala Philharmonic Orchestra of Milan, Developing a new playground and gathering integrated community liaison approach; MAG’s ap- underpinning risk behaviour. Therefore, reducing held in Zagreb in 2003, supplemented donations by space for families has made a significant difference proach now recognises that individuals alone can- risk is a collaborative undertaking.