Specifically, the identified high-risk groups of people include: lack of knowledge, no information, despite the dangers, forced to come into contact with mines and UXO.
The group of people without knowledge includes people who do not know about the dangers of mines and unexploded ordnance as well as how to safely protect against the dangers of landmine / UXO accidents. This group includes children in general, including children of primary and lower secondary age, and adults with little access to information about mines and UXO such as farmers and women.
According to a number of research papers surveying knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, only 35.5% of children aged 11-17 have a correct understanding of mine / UXO risk, and only 43% of women have the knowledge. Most of them have never been informed about the dangers of mines and unexploded ordnance and cannot recognize mines and UXO if encountered in the natural environment.
Due to the lack of knowledge about mines and unexploded ordnance, people in this group do not know how to safely coexist in an area affected by landmine / UXO pollution or handle in case of encountering mines and UXO.
The group without information and knowledge includes people who know mines and UXO are dangerous in general but do not know to what extent, as well as do not know how to safely handle mines and UXO because they have not been instructed. This group includes children who are typically 11 years of age or older and adults have limited but limited access to mine-related information.
According to the survey results, up to 87.6% of children aged 11-17, 82.4% of women and 83.9% of farmers participating in the survey do not have the safe reaction to mines and explosives when encountering them. They can identify mines and UXO in the natural environment but do not know how to safely coexist in an area contaminated with mines and UXO, how to handle it in the situation of encountering mines and UXO.
The risk-defying group includes people who know about the dangers of mines and unexploded ordnance but ignore the dangers regardless.
They can be anyone but it consists mainly children from11-18 years old, know quite well the dangers of mines and unexploded ordnance, can identify even themselves very familiar with mines and UXO, because the object has collided many times.
They are at risk of a mine / UXO accident due to their curiosity, desire to learn, explore, and express themselves in a dangerous and mischievous way. They know the dangers but are willing to face the dangers of mines and unexploded ordnance. They do not have safe behavior while in mine / UXO contaminated areas and therefore, they do not handle the situation in a safe way when encountering mines and UXO.
The group that must come in contact with mines and UXO includes individuals are aware of the dangers of mines and explosives but are required to accept this danger for subsistence purposes. This group includes scrap collectors and traders, their families and employees. They know quite well the dangers of mines and unexploded ordnance, and can quickly detect all kinds of bombs, mines, explosives left in the wild. The risk of landmine / UXO incidents for this group comes from their daily livelihoods.
These groups of people should be given priority support in educating about risks of mine / UXO accidents. This is also one of the priorities of the KVMAP project.
Source: KVMAP
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