Civilians face increasing harm from deadly explosive weapons

A University of Queensland study has found almost 90 per cent of people killed and injured by landmines and similar weapons are civilians.

Dr Stacey Pizzino from UQ’s School of Public Health collated information on 105,931 casualties in 17 countries and regions across Asia, Europe, Africa and South America.

“This is the first pooled casualty analysis globally using previously untapped data sources,” Dr Pizzino said.

“It showed nearly one in 4 people injured by landmines and explosive ordnance die from their injuries.

“Civilian casualties of explosive devices far outnumber combatants in an armed conflict or those working to clear the remants of war, and those injuries have become more severe over time.’’

Dr Pizzino contacted government and non-government sources globally to build a detailed dataset of demographics, incident details and injuries.

The data showed improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, were linked to 4 times higher odds of death than conventionally manufactured landmines.

More men were injured than women, but women were more likely to die of their injuries, while older people had a higher risk of death from an encounter with a landmine or other explosive device.

“The world is seeing an upsurge in armed conflict and an increasing use of improvised explosive devices or IEDs,” Dr Pizzino said.

“The data shows that outside of active conflict situations, children had lower odds of death from explosive weapons than adults.

“While on the surface this seems like good news, it is a very important finding because injured survivors need immediate specialist medical help and then longer-term rehabilitation or potentially disability support through their lifespan.”

Dr Pizzino has previously presented interim findings to a United Nations meeting in Geneva on the rights of survivors of explosive ordnance and a Landmine Ban Treaty Global Victim Assistance meeting in Cambodia.  

“Explosive ordnance now contaminates at least 57 countries,’’ Dr Pizzino said.

“As conflicts intensify globally, more civilians are living, working and raising families in areas contaminated with these weapons.

“This study highlights the vulnerability of civilians during and especially after armed conflict and is an evidence base for advocacy, planning and resource allocation, particularly medical responses for survivors with complex and severe injuries.

“This is a huge issue for the countries and the communities affected.”

The research was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.

The research is published in Nature, Communications Medicine.

Collaboration and acknowledgements