Landmines is a sub-theme of the PeaceWomen Theme: Disarmament, and forms part of PeaceWomen’s framework to organize our women, peace and security resources for ease of reference and understanding. It is important to note that themes and sub-themes are interlinked and mutually reinforcing.

Anti-personnel landmines have been defined as “explosive device[s] designed to maim or kill the person who triggers it. According to the International Red Cross, they go on killing and maiming soldiers and civilians, men and women, adults and children alike decades after the fighting has ended”. Unexploded ordnance (UXO) present similar challenges to security as landmines and cause similar destruction; they are explosives that did not explode and remained active after the end of armed conflict, including: unexploded bullets, grenades, mortars, cluster bombs, rockets and air-dropped bombs.

While women actually account for a smaller percentage of death by landmines than men, when women are victims and suffer from disabilities caused by landmines, they are often mistreated and have less access to prosthetics and other healthcare needs to treat their wounds than men. They also are often times left by their husbands by divorce or abandonment. Landmines also have a long-term negative social and psychological impacts on women. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (SCR 1325) addresses the use of landmines specifically regarding “the need for all parties to ensure that mine clearance and mine awareness programmes take into account the special needs of women and girls.” SCR1325 highlights the great need for gender perspectives on the issue of landmines.