Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) pose significant
humanitarian problems to the civilians as well as to the
governments in post conflict situations. People continue
to be at risk even after the war due to the presence of
ERW. The issue of ERW has in fact shifted the focus of the
international community from the immediate impacts of
the weapons to their long term effects. In response to this,
states concluded a landmark agreement, Protocol V to the
UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons in
2003 (CCW). This Protocol aims at providing a proper
mechanism to deal with ERW threat. Meanwhile, with the
beginning of the new century and the emergence of newly
sophisticated weapons the debate over the ERW got
shifted to one of the most menacing category of weapons
called cluster munitions. Again, responding to the
problem, the state parties adopted the Convention of
Cluster Munitions 2003 which bans the use and
development of these deadly weapons. Both these
instruments suffer from certain inherent limitations.
Despite these limitations they still serve as the last resort
for the civilians as well as for the governments of the war
torn communities in dealing with the catastrophic effects
of ERW.
Two-Year Follow-Up of a Community Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention Program in an Aboriginal Community