Cluster Munitions and Civilian Health

Use of cluster munitions (CM) in Lebanon during July-August 2006 focused global attention on the harmful effects these weapons have on civilian health. However, CM are not new weaponry; despite high failure rates, they have been used for half a century in armed conflicts in over 23 countries. After deployment, unexploded CM remain scattered across wide areas, posing indiscriminate post-conflict danger. Although CM casualty data is unavailable in most areas, a recent comprehensive report on CM use documented at least 9,410 injuries and deaths to date, 98% within civilian populations . The majority of civilian CM casualties are incurred from non-conflict activities, including children playing with ordinances found on the ground or individuals grazing animals in the fields. The numbers are incomplete, so the true health impact of these weapons is still unknown and therefore unacknowledged. However, we do know that the health of civilian populations is particularly at risk due to inaccurate targeting and high failure rates of CM. Norway recently proposed a treaty to ban CM use that causes “unacceptable humanitarian consequences,” the first step towards enacting an international ban on CM. Similar legislation to ban CM has been recently introduced in legislative bodies of multiple countries, including the US. The international community has agreed that landmine usage is unacceptable, but this potential legislation represents the first movement to address the catastrophic use of CM that fail to explode, becoming default landmines that pose serious threats to civilian health for years after the official end of conflict.