Tell Congress to Ban Cluster Bombs

By Mary Stata on 06/15/2011 @ 04:00 PM

Tags: Peaceful Prevention

Cluster bombs have killed and injured thousands of innocent civilians in the past 40 years and continue to do so today. These bombs scatter dozens of smaller explosives across the size of football fields. The widespread dispersal means that these weapons cannot distinguish between military targets and civilians.

Cluster bombs often fail to explode on impact, invariably affecting civilians who encounter these weapons long after a violent conflict ends. One third of all recorded cluster bomb casualties are children. Sixty percent of casualties are injured while undertaking normal activities, such as farming or playing outside. Civilians in Laos, Lebanon, Georgia, Afghanistan, and Iraq still encounter these deadly weapons. While millions of dollars are spent each year to find and safely destroy cluster bombs, the repeated use of these weapons has created an economic and humanitarian disaster.

In December 2008, 145 countries met in Oslo, Norway to sign an accord banning the use of cluster bombs. To date, 108 countries have signed the Cluster Munitions Convention and 57 countries have ratified the treaty. The United States, Israel, China, Russia, India, and Pakistan have not joined the treaty.

Despite the reluctance of the United States to sign the treaty, Senators Diane Feinstein (CA) and Patrick Leahy (VT) have introduced the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act (S.558) to significantly restrict US use of cluster bombs. The senators are currently circulating a letter to colleagues in the Senate, urging co-sponsorship of this legislation. This bill is an important step towards US compliance with the Cluster Munitions Convention.

Children in Afghanistan cannot play outside without fear because of cluster bombs. Farmers in Laos risk their lives to tend their fields. Read the "dear colleage" letter from sens. Feinstein and Leahy, and write your own letter to your senators, urging them to support the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act.