Thousands of people have been able to return home to restart their life, since the Danish Refugee Council started its Mine Action unit, Danish Demining Group (DDG), ten years ago. Today, Mine Action is an important component of the humanitarian work of the Danish Refugee Council. Every day people are injured or killed by mines or unexploded ordnances.

"Landmines and unexploded ordnances are still a huge problem in current and former war torn countries around the world," says Head of DDG, Anette Christoffersen. "People are injured by remnants of war, and not at least women and children are at risk."

The Mine Action unit, DDG, was established in beginning of 1998 right after Denmark signed the Ottowa Convention. So far, 156 States have signed the convention and thus committed themselves to ban the use of anti-personnel landmines. It further prohibits countries from developing, producing, storing, or transferring anti-personnel landmines.

"The Ottowa Convention has been a great political success and a large number of States have committed themselves to eliminate anti-personnel landmines. However, landmines continue to constitute a major threat to the safety of people in many counties and concerted humanitarian Mine Action efforts are still needed," says Anette Christoffersen.

DDG works, amongst others, in Afghanistan, which is one of the most contaminated countries worldwide. Around four million Afghans live in places contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnances.

"Since 1998, we have cleared more than 1 million square meters land, thus enabled people in these areas free access to their land and to infrastructure. Still, there is a long way to go in Afghanistan - on average some 65 people, especially women and children, are injured or killed by landmines or unexploded ordnances every month," says Anette Christoffersen.

DDG operates in seven of the most contaminated post-conflict countries in the world with the mandate of re-creating an environment free of the threat of landmines and ERW, where people can live safely and have access to their land and in which the needs of victims are met.

Read more: www.drc.dk