INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS
NEWS RELEASE
Mines and unexploded ordnances continue to kill and maim civilians during many years after a conflict has ended. To minimise the risk, it is important to raise awareness on the danger posed by these explosive remnants of war (ERW) among the population and offer alternative solutions.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has conducted a series of mine risk training sessions for teachers of the city and village secondary schools. The training covers basic information on the scale of the problem, the ICRC's approach in dealing with the issue, and specific methodology of presenting the topic to the schoolchildren. The ICRC had previous experience of similar training in the northern Caucasus, which enables adjusting good practices and key messages to the realities on the ground.
The first series of training sessions covers 111 teachers from nine city schools and 13 village schools in Tskhinval district. The teachers are supposed to transmit the obtained knowledge to the pupils at their respective schools.
"As local residents, we knew about mines and other dangerous items remaining from August 2008 hostilities, but we were not fully aware of the scope and consequences of the problem", says Mzia Dudaeva, a secondary school teacher from the village of Artsev.
Additionally to awareness raising, the ICRC takes concrete steps to prevent mine and ERW accidents. With the winter coming, the villagers often go to nearby forests to collect firewood. In weapon-contaminated areas, this seasonal activity might bear direct risks for civilians. Hence, the ICRC has organized a distribution of wood among the vulnerable population in villages with direct ERW threat to prevent residents from going to contaminated areas.
The ICRC also continues to transmit information it receives from the population regarding the location of explosive remnants of war to the structures in charge of clearance for their further action.
Currently, a team of around 80 expatriate and national staff work for the ICRC in Tskhinval. The ICRC maintains constant dialogue with the authorities, coordinating its efforts in providing humanitarian aid to the population.
