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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
April 10, 2007
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| March 12, 2007 |
Put a Stop to the Landmine Time Bomb – Toshihiro Shimizu and Motoko Mekata |
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| Toshihiro Shimizu gives lectures on landmines onboard Peace Boat’s 56th Global Voyage |
Landmines can explode at any time, bombs don’t discriminate, anyone can be a victim, and worst of all, and landmine locations are unknown. Toshihiro Shimizu, director of the Japan Volunteer Center (JVC), was on board as a guest educator specializing in landmine issues. He was also involved with the Global University Unit 1, which included an overland tour to Cambodia to visit museums, the killing fields, and non governmental organizations (NGOs) affiliated with Peace Boat. JVC provides humanitarian support to victims while trying to eliminate landmines in areas such as Cambodia. More often than not, many people know of Cambodia’s landmine issue from widespread campaigns but are not aware that landmines are a serious problem in nearly 80 countries today. |
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A survivor in a hospital in Cambodia, a scene we see far too often
Photo courtesy of Motoko Mekata |
Mr. Shimizu talked about the impact landmines have on a region including how military use these weapons, civilian living conditions, the impact of unusable land and the rehabilitation of survivors. In addition to speaking about landmines, Mr. Shimizu reiterated that the role of an NGO is to connect people to people instead of via a governmental body which involves not only red tape but at times does not address the needs of its citizens. In a panel discussion with other guest speakers also working in NGO’s, they discussed the pros and cons and candidly answered questions from the audience such as “Can you earn enough to live?” or “What are the misconceptions people have about NGOs?” |
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| Guest educator Motoko Mekata talks about the Ottawa Treaty and the Oslo Process |
Peace Boat also welcomed onboard Motoko Mekata from the Japan Campaign to Ban Landmines, (JCBL) whose lectures focused on the Ottawa Treaty, also known as the Mine Ban Treaty - an agreement that 153 countries have ratified that commits them to destroying their stockpiles of land mines within four years and to demine their land within ten years. Incidentally, the countries with the largest amount of landmines, an estimated 160 million still buried, have yet to sign. Ms. Mekata’s presentations complimented Mr. Shimizu’s talks on landmines and working in NGOs as she spoke about her own experience and help clarify many of the gray areas on working for NGOs as oppose to NPOs. |
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Cluster munitions look like harmless peas in a pod but are in fact deadly
Photo courtesy of HI |
Ms. Mekata elaborated on different types of landmines and cluster munitions, how they are used as weaponry and how they have a long lasting and devastating impact on the surrounding region. She explained the difficulties of demining an area and the challenges faced by mine affected nations. A staggering amount of landmines are still burried and the Landmine Monitor estimates 15,000-20,000 new casualties per year. Please see this website to find out more about the Oslo Process and sign the petition in your support of eradicating cluster munitions: www.jcbl_ngo.org |
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