6 SUIT Ortila: October 28,1997 f 
     
    
   
   
    
     The reality of 
     
     landmines 
     
    
   
   
    
     By Kerry Maze and 
     
     Jolyn Campbell 
     
     (co-chairs of Wusc) 
     
    
   
   
    
     Wednesday, Oct. 1, our 
     
     local WUSC committee 
     
     (World University Service of 
     
     Canada) had the honour of 
     
     presenting guest speaker 
     
     Sharon Carr to a very touched 
     
     crowd. Sharon, an orthotist at 
     
     the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 
     
     travelled independently to Vi- 
     
     etnam intending to focus on 
     
     patients with cerebral palsy 
     
     forathree month period. Over 
     
     that period, Sharon became 
     
     heavily involved working with 
     
     the victims of landmines and 
     
     volunteered for the Vietnam- 
     
     ese Assistance for the Handi- 
     
     capped. Becoming a strong 
     
     activist against landmines, she 
     
     has since worked alongside 
     
     the Red Cross to educate about 
     
     and speak out against the un- 
     
     necessary and cruel effects 
     
     caused by landmines. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Landmines killormaim 
     
     over 26,000 innocent civilians 
     
     each year - 500 people each 
     
     week. There are 110 million 
     
     landmines in the world today, 
     
     and according to Sharon Carr, 
     
     it would take 1100 years to rid 
     
     the earth of the mines. De- 
     
     spite many de-mining programs 
     
    
   
   
    
     landmines are found in areas 
     
     least able to cope with the 
     
     disasters the mines bring forth. 
     
     Intended asamilitary weapon, 
     
     it is the poor rural areas who 
     
     are the most affected and are 
     
     devastated by the loss of their 
     
     only cow or the unaccessible 
     
     land. Furthermore, poor fami- 
     
     lies must look after the injured 
     
     while having one ormoremem- 
     
     bers who cannot help with the 
     
     chores or income. The planted 
     
     mines also make transporta- 
     
     tion slower and more difficult 
     
     and therefore a village or re- 
     
     gion may notreceive, inocula- 
     
     tions, vaccinations or other 
     
     outside aid which they are 
     
     needing. 
     
    

    
     Only recently have 
     
     landmines received such at- 
     
     tention and taken a centre 
     
     stage as an important activist 
     
     movement. And yet, as we 
     
     learnt from Sharon Carr, it will 
     
     take constant attention and 
     
     continued support to at long 
     
     last ban the mines and pursue 
     
     acomplete clearing away proc- 
     
     ess. Ejighty-nine countries, 
     
     Canada leading the way, have 
     
     recently agreed to ban the us- 
     
     age and construction of 
     
    
   
   
    
         
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Application Deadline is Friday, November 7th, 
     
     at 4:00 pm. 
     
    
   
   
    
     sabi Kintiait 
     
    
   
   
    
           
     
    
   
   
    
     VOLUNTEER POSITIONS 
     
    
   
   
    
     Applications are available at the Student Union Office, 
     
     I Floor of the Barn 
     
    
   
   
    
     found throughout many ofthe landmines. With thanks to ; 
     
    

    
     affected countries, between people like Sharon Carr, who CIMN Station Manager Volunteer 
     
     tegen a Dae are educating and speaking out CIMN Program Director Volunteer 
     
     are being planted every year. against mines, the achieve- IMN ic Promotions Volunteer 
     
     See pant eee eer etna a Librarian Volunteer 
     
    
   
   
    
     dollars, found readily on the 
     
     black market, and sold by lead- 
     
     ing countries, mines are an 
     
     easy and accessible weapon. 
     
     Thede-mining process is long, 
     
     expensive and dangerous. 
     
     Removing one mine can cost 
     
     between $300 to a $1000. 
     
     Left behind long after 
     
     the conflicts have ended, 
     
    
   
   
    
     and the future success’ are 
     
     made possible. On behalf of 
     
     WUSC at UPEI, we would 
     
     again like to again thank Sharon 
     
     Carr for coming to our campus 
     
     and sharing with us her expe- 
     
     riences and the astonishing 
     
     realities of landmines. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
        
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Technical difficulties held this story back. The Cadre apologizes for the delay. 
     
     - Ed.KR 
     
    
   
   
    
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