Persuasive Essay On Landmines

Imagine yourself as a young child walking to school. The sun is up and shining, the birds are chirping, and when you take your next step your ears are ringing. A bomb went off in a second. Your leg is gone, you become blinded, and whatever life was ahead of you has changed forever. This image may be hard to fathom but sadly, for millions of people this is not a hypothetical situation. It is a reality many people live with and fear. When someone steps on one of the estimated 100 million landmines embedded in the world, there are little recourse available. Each year, landmines main or kill over 26,000 people worldwide (Bonsor). Out of all these men, women, and children less than 10 percent have access to proper medical care and rehabilitation.

When triggered by pressure or a tripwire, these explosive devices go off immediately, sometimes fragmenting at high speeds. They are one of the deadliest legacies of 20th century warfare. Anti-personal landmines continue to have unintended, tragic consequences after a battle or an entire war had ended. Landmines, which can stay active for decades, will continue to cause damage, injury, and death. It is estimated that there are over 100 million landmines scattered over 70 countries worldwide. This is only an estimation because sadly, landmine locations are unmarked and as time passes their location is often

These expenses are often economically inaccessible for individuals and their families. Things like surgeries, prosthetics, wheelchairs, or other walking aids do not come cheap. Families with children survivors are faced with an even steeper bill. Because a child’s bones grow faster than the surrounding tissue, a wound may need repeated amputation and a new artificial limb as often as every six months. These costly procedures, along with needing to discontinue working until recovery, can cripple a family. This is why Cambodia sees mine action as a top priority on its quest to fight poverty, hunger, and all kinds of