Foreword
The United Nations has declared landmines "one of the most widespread, lethal, and longlasting forms of pollution" in the world today. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines estimates that there are between 60 and 70 million landmines in at least 70 countries, and that these explosive devices maim or kill approximately 26,000 civilians every year, including 8,000 to 10,000 children.There are two kinds of landmines, both of which are initiated by downward pressure or trip wire: antipersonnel mines, designed to wound or kill people, and antivehicle mines, designed to destroy or damage vehicles. In addition, countless pieces of unexploded ordnance…