Gender and Mine Action

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Building a network on gender and mine action! Your contribution is needed.

Why Gender Matters in Mine Action? How can gender be mainstreamed within mine action activities, programmes and operations? The Swiss Campaign to Ban Landmines ([1]) is happy to use wikigender website to open a discussion on gender and mine action. Various mine action actors and stakeholders have developed and adapted gender policies resulting in fruitful and inspiring initiatives within different pillars of mine action. However, improvements in terms of gender equality in one area of mine action are not necessarily being replicated into others, and there are still many gaps to fill. This Wikigender article on Gender and Mine Action is meant to provide the participants with an internet based space that would allow them to link up with each other on the issue of gender and mine action, share information, experiences and good practice from the field. It is opened to any organisation/person working in the area of gender and/or mine action.

For practical recommendations on gender and mine action, please visit the following article: Gender and mine action: practical recommendations

The relevance of gender in mine action

Landmines continue to constitute a barrier for development in more than 80 countries and territories worldwide, affecting the lives of women, men, girls and boys in the communities long after the conflict is over. Key land is being blocked and access to services limited, creating obstacles for livelihood activities and not allowing people to work themselves out of poverty.

Mine action traditionally is divided into five pillars: demining, MRE, victim assistance, advocacy and stockpile destruction. All mine action pillars have a common goal: reduce the human, social, economic and environmental impact of landmine contamination. This goal is clear-cut but what might be less clear or given less consideration is that to be comprehensively fulfilled this goal needs to be gender mainstreamed.

There is now general recognition that there are significant gender dimensions to mine action: women, men, girls and boys are affected, and best assisted, in different ways. Gender impacts the likelihood of becoming a victim of landmines, accessing medical care, reintegrating into society after being injured, and accessing mine risk education. Mine contamination affects all members of a community; hence the importance of making sure everyone contributes to mine action from their different perspectives and experiences. The integration of a gender perspective in mine action targets and benefits all members of society; women and girls as well as men and boys.


Myths on gender and mine action

Myth 1: Gender mainstreaming is not relevant in mine action activities The relevance of gender has taken time to impose itself clearly to those working in the area of mine action. The main treaties regulating general mine action activities are gender blind. Moreover, mine action belongs to a traditional “masculine”, technical sector, one of war and weapons, in which the relevance of gender might not appear clearly at first sight.

There are significant gender dimensions to mine action, the most obvious one being that women, men, girls and boys are affected, and best assisted, in different ways


Myth 2: Mainstreaming gender in mine action activities only targets and benefits women Using a gender perspective is not about focusing on women, but rather understanding how gender roles ascribed to women and men contribute to vulnerability, and ensuring that the respective concerns and needs of women and men do not receive unbalanced attention.

Mainstreaming gender within mine action policies, programmes and operations benefits the community as a whole by guarantying that the contributions, concerns and needs of all components of society are acknowledged and addressed


Myth 3: Gender is complex and expensive to implement in mine action Gender, despite its conceived complexity, is universally applicable in mine action, regardless of pillar, region or culture. Moreover, gender initiatives don’t need to be costly nor include large structural changes.

Studies demonstrate that many organisations are already executing successful gender mainstreaming activities, sometimes without labelling them as gender projects. Gender is doable by small means and with low cost implications


Myth 4: Culture and traditions are the main obstacles to mainstreaming gender within mine action activities Culture and religion is frequently mentioned as a reason for not integrating a gender focus in mine action activities. Yet, where empirical research is conducted, the results seem to support the opposite. Some concrete examples highlight how stereotyped images of men, women and cultures can be challenged.

Apart from culture, lack of resources, knowledge and willingness constitute real obstacles to gender mainstreaming within mine action activities


Myth 5: Gender as a secondary priority Gender is often perceived as an add-on concern which is denied attention and considered less important and/or conflicting with other alleged priorities. However, gender is a cross-cutting priority issue that, when mainstreamed, prevents all members of society, women, men, girls and boys, from being discriminated against.

Gender, when integrated in the planning phase instead of being examined aside through “on-top” guidelines, ensures that mine action programmes comprehensively achieve their overall goal of protecting all members of society


Myth 6: Gender mainstreaming means employment of women Gender mainstreaming in mine action is often interpreted as employment of women. That these employments rather reinforced stereotypes, since these women often are hired for work in administration, education or rehabilitation is not given any considerations.

Employment of men and women refers to “gender balance” and is only one part of gender mainstreaming. Although important, this measure alone is not sufficient for systematic gender integration

Relevance and feasibility of gender sensitive mine action activities: pillar analysis

This section intends to present a comprehensive analysis of the importance and relevance of gender in all pillars of mine action except stockpile destruction. For each pillar, it describes the added value of using a gender mainstreaming approach and presents short recommendations for successful gender mainstreaming within mine action. This section is open for sharing of information on successful examples on gender mainstreaming in mine action.


Discriminatory Demining

Definition of demining: “activities which lead to the removal of mine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) hazards, including technical survey, mapping, clearance, marking, post-clearance documentation, community mine action liaison and the handover of cleared land”.


Due to their different roles and responsibilities in society, women, men, girls and boys may have different information on land mine threats or where accidents have taken place. In order to collect the whole community’s knowledge on where landmines are placed, the survey team needs to make sure that women, men, girls and boys are all given the opportunity to provide information. Having a comprehensive approach including both sexes in assessments and surveys not only reduces the risks of getting injured by landmines but also means addressing the security of all members of society. This means more than simply ensuring female “attendance” to assessments and surveys. It also requires that women be able to speak freely and without constraints.

Specific arrangements – such as appropriate communication of the objectives of assessments and surveys, adequate timing and location, and house-to-house visits – improve efficiency through community ownership of the process and collection of accurate data.


Training and hiring both female and male surveyors represents another effective way of gathering information from different segments of the population. Be it through informal talks with women, or through formal hiring of women, the use of female surveyors is a crucial factor for successful surveying in many societies: not all men have access to all women in society, and vice versa; women have access to other women and different information channels than men.


With regards to mine clearance and female deminers, the resistance is strong in some countries, usually based on the cultural argument that this is not meant for women. Culture and religion is frequently mentioned as an excuse for hiring women. However, where empirical research is conducted, the results seem to support the opposite, and, generally speaking, demining seems to benefit from involving women. Some organisations that successfully employed female deminers claimed that they were more productive than their male counterparts; others reported success and community approval.


This raises an important question; is it “the culture” of a country that hinders more widespread employment of female deminers or is it the implementing organisations’ views that get in the way?


In general, employment offers are not gender neutral. Numerous elements such as the pictures used on the vacancy announcement, the reference to certain types of background (military) or physical characteristics (physical strength) in the job description might exclude women. Moreover, women and men may have different access to employment information channels. Hence, attention must be paid to the content and availability of vacancy announcements for both women and men.


Regarding prioritisation of the land to be cleared, attention also needs to be given in terms of gender. In an ideal situation all areas would be cleared, regardless of location, use or contamination. In reality however, resources are scarce and time limited, leading to a need to prioritise. In this regard, it is important to review the possible effects the prioritisation may have on women, men, girls and boys in the communities.


After clearance, the process of restitution of the land to the communities also requires to be gender mainstreamed. In this process it is very important to ensure that all people, women and men, have information about which areas have been cleared and are ready to be used. Moreover, it is crucial to study who has access to the cleared land. Women might indeed be hindered from accessing cleared land due to discriminatory property laws.

Mainstreamed Mine Rish Education (MRE)

Definition of MRE: “activities which seek to reduce the risk of injury from mines and ERW by raising awareness and promoting behavioural change, including public information dissemination, education and training and community mine action liaison”.


MRE is the mine action pillar where most gender efforts have been made. Many organisations have adopted strategies that include explicit measures to make sure that MRE reaches women, men, girls and boys in society, one of them being that both women and men work as trainers.


Aside involving women as MRE trainers, making sure that different material is adapted to different target groups is another crucial measure to ensure that MRE messages are clear to all components of society. If the most common division is material that targets children versus adults, one can also distinguish a difference in material used for women and men. MRE should be tailored to both women and men to modify their behaviour. Literacy, language and local customs are crucial factors when deciding which materials to use for conveying the messages of MRE written materials, posters, videos, dramas or other methods. Radio, television, and other audio or visual media have been proven effective ways of communicating messages of mine danger to women, but in many places, no such media is accessible or available. Access to these kinds of media varies greatly, not only due to gender, but also because of factors such as poverty and living in rural areas.


Attention must also be given to the fact that difficulties to reach women and men for MRE sessions differ according to gender. Women if properly targeted are easily reachable: this implies available and appropriate communication material that takes into account potential female illiteracy, suitable timetables and locations that allow women combining child care and domestic duties with attendance to MRE sessions, and the inclination to be addressed by a female interlocutor. This supports the idea that there is a necessity to ensure a gender balance amongst MRE trainers as a means to enhance women’s effective participation. Even when women and men can attend mixed sessions, it is important that women feel comfortable enough to express their views aside men’s. It is important to investigate the need and make sure separate sessions are available where needed.


With regards to men, though they encounter less obstacles to employment than women, be it mobility, literacy, or occupational restrictions, they may be less easily reachable than women, as they work far from their homes, even during weekends.


Involving people who have gained the confidence and trust of the local population can be a successful means of conveying messages and reaching all members of society. One way would be to train people with influence in the village, such as traditional birth attendants (TBAs), teachers and medical staff, to become MRE trainers. MRE training can also be combined with other events such as sports or entertainment.


Varied Victim Assistance

Definition: “refers to all aid, relief, comfort and support provided to victims (including survivors) with the purpose of reducing the immediate and long-term medical and psychological implications of their trauma”.


Medical care and rehabilitation after a landmine injury should be a universal right, regardless of sex, age, class, caste, region or any other variable. To ensure that these services are available and appropriate for both women and men, one key success factor mentioned is carrying out in-depth studies on the needs of injured women, men, girls and boys and not clumping them together in one group. This is sticking regarding access to victim assistance and rehabilitation services. The approach of “treating anyone that comes to the door” without specific attention to their sex is discriminating since, instead of being “gender neutral”, this approach is “gender blind”. It doesn’t take into account the fact that though the door is open to them too, women might face difficulties in accessing that door because of gender roles and inequalities, mobility restrictions, financial restrictions, the apportioning of domestic work, and because they cannot leave their children behind while they search for care.


Moreover, social norms regarding what economic roles are appropriate for women and men can give rise to the belief that men are typically the primary income providers, which leads to prioritising male mine survivors for emergency medical assistance, prostheses and rehabilitation – a significant problem for female-headed households. In 2006, 5 751 casualties from landmines and ERW were identified, of which males constituted 89% of all cases where gender details were known. However, the female fatality rate from a mine accident is estimated to be 43%, with the fatality rate for men being much lower at 29% - largely due to inequalities in victim assistance provision.


In addition, in certain countries, women may face constraints in accessing timely and appropriate assistance with fatal consequences as male doctors may be forbidden from examining women and women may be restricted from practicing as doctors.


Capacity building of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) should also be looked at from a gender perspective as rehabilitation and reintegration opportunities differ depending on the sex of landmines survivors. Because of gender roles, survivors of landmines see their life affected not only because of physical damage but also because of social expectations in relation to their sex: injured men feel humiliated by not being able to remain the breadwinner of the family. Injured women become vulnerable to poverty, stigmatisation, and isolation because of their potential incapacity to take care of their children and domestic work. Single injured female households might encounter even more difficulties in having their status as primary breadwinner recognised, or in marrying. On the psychological effects following a landmine injury, women and men also have different experiences. For instance, as men more often than women are responsible for income-generating activities, they tend to suffer more from not being able to provide financial security for the family.


It is worth noting here that “victim” does not necessarily only mean injured by landmines, but also refers to the caretaker or family member of an injured person. IMAS definition of “victim” is not only referring to “an individual who has suffered harm as a result of a mine or ERW accident”, but also notes that “in the context of victim assistance, the term victim may include dependants of a mine/ERW casualty, hence having a broader meaning than survivor”. This added definition is important to underline, as important differences between women and men must been taken in to account: a man, as husband to an injured wife, might more or less continue life as before with assistance from female family members for the household duties. In contrast, women, as wives to injured men, have to take up the role of being the family’s main breadwinner, in addition to completing her household tasks and taking care of the children, adding more duties and and putting her in an even more vulnerable position.

One issue that needs to be further studied is the linkage between mine injuries and domestic violence. It has been reported that in some cases some injured husband become depressed, aggressive and use violence against their wives, but this issue still needs to be documented.
Domestic violence


Added Advantages of Appropriate Advocacy

Definition of advocacy: “public support, recommendation or positive publicity with the aim of removing, or at least reducing, the risk from, and the impact of, mines and ERW”.


Gender is not completely ignored in the context of mine action advocacy and many advocacy initiatives are carried out on various gender aspects, ranging from using local resources (singers for instance), to educational pamphlets or stressing the importance of including gender perspective in the process of developing guidelines for mine action already from the beginning.


As in all advocacy efforts or pubic relations campaigns, it is very important that the target groups recognise themselves in the posters, videos, pamphlets or other media being used.


Gender sensitive advocacy has a great role to play by promoting the systematisation of extensive research on the different effects of Anti Personal Mines (APM) on women, men, girls and boys and the systematic use of sex and age disaggregated data. Gender sensitive advocacy can also encourage policy makers and implementing organisations to make gender mainstreaming and gender balance priority considerations in formulation and implementation of mine action policies, programmes and operations. If gender is integrated in the planning phases, no separate “on-top” guidelines on gender are needed.


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