Introduction
Bosnia and Herzegovina is the most heavily mined country in Europe where around 1.3 million people, roughly one third of the population, live in 1,366 mine-impacted communities. According to the Red Cross figures, 4,866 individuals were killed or injured by mines or unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1,520 of which since the end of the war.
UNICEF regards mines and UXO as a major threat to people’s “right to life, liberty and security of person,” enshrined in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Although demining is ongoing in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it will be many years before the country is free from landmine and unexploded ordnance contamination. Therefore, there is a vital need for a broad response to the risk caused by landmines, integrating mine risk education and mine victim assistance to into mine action.
