samanthathen-blog

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Infographic illustrates the correlation between armed conflict, government production of weapons, small arms statistics and landmine casualties.

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Feature Writing

An Amputee’s Determination toward the Paralympic Dream

As they underestimated the biting winds January had to offer, the sting had crept up to their skin while the cold seeped into their toes as they huddled together for warmth. That was when Malek had trekked through the war torn forest hoping to gather enough firewood to keep his family heated in the coldest month of Kabul, only to give up both his legs to two soviet landmines. 

The first landmine that catapulted his body into the sky caused him to land on another, inflicting serious damage. The severity of the blow left doctors aghast, noting that his injuries were amongst some of the worst they had to treat. The blasts had shot right up into both his legs causing him to amputate further above his knees. The devastated young boy was forced to come to terms that he would never be able to walk again, while being convinced that his survival was meaningless.  

 Malek remembers the incident vividly: "There was so much blood that I thought, 'I will have no more blood left in my body'. I cannot describe the pain. I screamed and I screamed."

 Seven years later, he dreams of a gold Paralympic medal hung on his chest as he balances on both his hands projecting the rest of his body into an almost perfect handstand while bracing himself to take yet another plunge into a swimming pool.

 His initial plan was to qualify for track and field but circumstances disallowed that ambition. The prosthetic legs that were customised for him in the US needs adjustment and repair, which is impossible to be done in Afghanistan where the technology is unfortunately unavailable.

 Today, in a small rickety swimming complex in a Kabul, is where Malek trains for hours and hours to qualify for the Paralympics. The ramshackle facility is only accessible by taxi and hardly ideal for anyone who aspires to take part in an international event. With eight other children to feed, most days his parents do not have enough funds to continuously pay for the taxi fare.

 His mother, Sabza Gul, who tries her hardest to make ends meet, recalls how she fainted at the sight of her son whose bloodied body had been torn in half and resembled nothing close to human.

 “You have given me this son, please feed him and help him”, she prays to god when Malek is ill and she cannot provide him the kind of food an athlete requires.  

 "We are poor, so it would be unfair of me to ask that the money every day should be spent on taxis. Also we live in a very poor country and there are people far worse off than I am," he said. "I sometimes wonder what kind of facilities others, in rich countries have for the Olympics, but there is no point in moaning about it. But just to take part would be great not just for me, but for Afghanistan, I think. It'll show others what can be achieved and that one should not give up."

 His determination has received encouragement and great praises from others, including George Bush Senior, the former President of the United States who requested to meet Malek who was taken in by USAID while receiving treatment. His adversity, which has now become his biggest strength, works hard towards his end goal of becoming a hero for other landmine victims and representing his country with pride as he awaits the International Paralympic Committee’s invitation.

 However, Malek is just one statistic amongst the abundance of amputees in Afghanistan who do not have the same “privileges” as him. Known as one of the countries most ravaged by landmines, there is an estimated 10-15 million landmines that are undiscovered in Afghanistan.  

 Children like Malek who are able to survive the blow at a small age of 11 are rare. They are less likely to survive because their bodies are extremely vulnerable and unable to withstand such blasts sustaining serious injuries or from blood loss and exposure. The destruction that follows landmines are not only prevalent in Afghanistan, but in many other countries around the world with 70 people killed each day, signifying one death every 15 minutes.

 Over the last two decades, the purpose of landmines has shifted from military to political weapons, mainly to cause chaos, terror and economic dislocation. They are active in countries divided by civil war, scattered by non-state armed groups who obtain them from the black market, allowing the deadly trade to flourish.  

 In an effort to put a stop to this phenomenon, the Ottawa treaty was established, putting a worldwide ban with regards to the production of landmines. Though success prevails widely for this treaty, the devastation and consequences that many countries have to deal with the haunting legacy of war exists extensively.

 With 26,000 people a year becoming victim to landmines, an overwhelming number of amputees await medical attention, stretching resources in countries and leaving many untreated. However, a humble organization has stepped up its game by actively involving businesses to aid amputees who require prosthetic arms.

 The Helping Hands Program Australia gives businesses a unique opportunity to get engaged in a worthwhile cause by building prosthetic hands that are then donated to amputee landmines across the world. Each corporate conference that a company signs up for will be provided with Helping Hands representatives and tools needed to build functioning prosthetic hands, which is then given to landmine victims in countries such as Afghanistan, India and Cambodia.

 In 2015, they had surpassed their goal of building 5000 hands and raised the bar to build 10,000 by December 2017. As of February 2017, they have already built a total of 9,231 hands for recipients who are thankful for the life-changing help they thought they could never get. Photos of recipients could be found on their website and Facebook page, with smiles that warm the heart of each hand builder.  

 Other than impoverishing the community, employment prospects are almost non-existent with the loss of limbs. The Helping Hands Program gives each victim a chance to rebuild his or her life, making positive impacts around the world.

 As the international community pumps in effort and millions of dollars to end the death toll by clearing as many landmines as possible, there will still be a never-ending number of victims due to the long lasting effects of the ordnance. Thus it is imperative that more communities be educated and support organizations like the Helping Hands Program in order to help large numbers of victims in need and support the voice against this bloody trade so that there can be a full stop to this lethal production.

 References:

1. Jamjoom, M. and Mobasherat, M. (2012) Afghan amputee dreams of Paralympics success. Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/26/sport/afghanistan-paralympian/ (Accessed: 15 February 2017).

2. Sengupta, K. (2007) Landmine victim Malek Mohammed going for gold at Paralympics. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/paralympics/landmine-victim-malek-mohammed-going-for-gold-at-paralympics-7821032.html (Accessed: 15 February 2017).

 3. De La Torre, N. and News, A. (2012) Pictures of the day: London Paralympics, Palestinian protests, and a subway Art Exhibition. Available at: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/05/pictures-of-the-day-london-paralympics-palestinian-protests-and-the-subway-exhibition/ (Accessed: 15 February 2017).

 4. Afghan swimmer dreams of London Paralympics - the express Tribune (2012) Available at: https://tribune.com.pk/story/377342/afghan-swimmer-dreams-of-london-paralympics/ (Accessed: 15 February 2017).

 5. World Weather and Climate Information (2010) Available at: https://weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-Rainfall-Temperature-Sunshine,Kandahar,Afghanistan (Accessed: 15 February 2017).

 6. Dunn, J. (2015) The harrowing plight of children maimed in Afghanistan by landmines. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3205978/Pictured-harrowing-plight-children-maimed-Afghanistan-thousands-landmines-scattered-country-decades-war.html (Accessed: 15 February 2017).

 7. Facts about Landmines (2013) Available at: http://www.care.org/emergencies/facts-about-landmines (Accessed: 15 February 2017).

 8. Landmine and cluster Munition monitor (1998) Available at: http://archives.the-monitor.org/index.php/content/view/full/18719 (Accessed: 15 February 2017).

 9. Helping hands (2014) Available at: http://helpinghandsprogram.com.au/ (Accessed: 15 February 2017).

 10. Helping hands program (2017) Available at: https://www.facebook.com/helpinghandsANZ/?fref=ts (Accessed: 15 February 2017).

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Media Release

The Helping Hands Program ties up with the Singapore National Paralympic Council

The Helping Hands Program (Australia) has tied up with the Singapore National Paralympic Council (SNPC), a private enterprise that has expanded into the lion city. The SNPC will exclusively grant 10% of donations and ASEAN Para games ticket sales to the Helping Hands Program Singapore as an effort for increasing awareness for landmine amputees. Paralympic gold winners Theresa Goh and Yip Pin Xiu will also represent the organization as spokespersons.

The company that was founded by Henricks Consulting in 2012 has now expanded into Singapore (Helping Hands Program Singapore). They have received excellent testimonials for their efforts in providing prosthetic arms for landmine amputees worldwide. With the aim of corporate team building, they give companies the opportunity to change the lives of amputees by allowing employees to build prosthetic hands, which are then donated to a victim of landmine. Anti-personnel (AP) land mines have caused mounting casualties of 15,000 to 30,000 people that are maimed or injured annually.

The two spokespersons believe that this partnership will help to draw more awareness to the plight of unfortunate handicapped victims. “It is unfair that we live in such blessed circumstances and I am glad that we are able to be the voice of those who can’t be heard.” Theresa Goh explains. Yip Pin Xiu added, “We should all be educated on the seriousness of this issue. There are millions of undetected landmines around the world maiming children as we speak.”

SNPC will actively engage with the Helping Hands Program to include more communities other than businesses, such as public schools to be educated on landmines and its effects as well creating opportunities for team bonding amongst students by letting them build prosthetic arms for victims as well.

The SNPC had hosted a warm welcome last evening at the OCBC Sports Hub and explained that they are hoping the partnership and huge success of Paralympics would shine light on the pressing issues of untreated land mine victims. Culture, community and youth Minister Grace Fu also stated that the council is very pleased that they are now able to help even more victims who live under unfortunate circumstances.

With the international success of the mine ban treaty, controversy has sparked against Singapore for being ambiguous about the incompliance to the ban of land mine production. However in November 2015, Singapore Technologies Engineering announced that it had ceased production of antipersonnel mines and published the decision on its website. The company’s president Tan Pheng Hock stated, “ST Engineering is now no longer in the business of designing, producing and selling of anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions or any related key components.” 

Media List (To feature in business, sports and education sector)

1. The Straits Times

   Editor: Warren Fernandez

   Contact: (65) 6319 6161

2. The Business Times

   Editor: Wong Wei Kong

   Contact: (65) 6319 519

3. The New Paper

   Editor:Sports Desk

   Contact: (65) 6319 4092/4096

4. Channel NewsAsia

   Editor: Lance Alexander

   Contact: 68 2222 68

5. Today News

   Editor: News Desk

   Contact: (65) 6236 4888

6. Business Quotient (BizQ)

   Editor: Joanna Lee-Miller

   Contact: (65) 6827 6828

7. Lian He Zaobao

   Editor: Loh Woon Yen

   Contact: (65) 6319 1469

8. Lian He Wanbao

   Editor: Chua Chim Kang

   (65) 6319 1376

9. Capital 958FM

   Mediacorp Radio

   Contact: (65) 6333 3888

10. 938 LIVE

     Mediacorp Radio

     Contact: 938live@mediacorp.com.sg

11. News 5 Tonight (Channel 5)

     Singapore International Chamber of Commerce

     Contact: (65) 6500 0988

12. Channel 8 News

     Ch8news@mediacorp.com.sg

     Contact: (65) 6822 2268

Pitch

Dear Editor,

I wanted to reach out with some refreshing news that could serve as a captivating addition to your readers.

The Helping Hands Program Australia, a humble organization founded in Australia has just landed a partnership with the Singapore National Paralympic Council, receiving 10% of ticket sales in honor of the 2021 ASEAN Para Games, which Singapore is projected to host. 10% of annual donations to the SNPC will also be granted to the Helping Hands Program.

The organization that has just expanded into Singapore had recently announced the newly launched Helping Hands Program Singapore, which is working actively with the SNPC to provide education and allow youths in public schools to take part in building prosthetic arms to be donated to landmine victims.

Local Paralympic stars Theresa Goh and Yip Pin Xiu will also act as spokespersons for the program. Goh states she is “incredibly honored to be part of a valuable cause”; while Yip adds that she strongly believes the partnership is imperative to create awareness that the victims need.

With 70 deaths daily, signifying one casualty from landmines every 15 minutes, the international community is pressured to increase efforts to clear landmines and preventing the deadly trade to flourish in black markets by stressing a full halt to landmine productions.

Ahead of the Helping Hands Program Singapore press conference, we would also like to offer you an interview with Matt Henricks, the CEO and founder of the company to discuss how he has proved successful in rebuilding the lives of thousands of landmine amputees as well as why he expanded into the little red dot.

Please let me know if you are interested to speak with Mr Henricks, and if you have any queries.

-       Samantha Then, Helping Hands Singapore.

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Investigative Podcast

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Investigative Piece

With general State parties’ implementation and compliance to the Mine Ban Treaty, the prevalence in the production of anti-personnel landmines seems to slowly be a part of history. However, in contrary to this excellent news, black markets still participate in this scheming trade. In fact, it costs even cheaper to purchase a landmine than to put food on the table.

Just demining Columbia itself would take 10 years and cost $200 million. With de-mining being such an expensive and laborious job, it would come as a surprise to some that a landmine could cost as little as $3 in the black market. Commonly found landmines can be illegally purchased at prices up to $10 each.

For the past decade, studies show that the global trade in anti-personnel mines has consisted of illicit and unauthorized transfers. Black market merchants are undisclosed and kept strictly anonymous, making them and their supplies almost impossible to track. The existence of these landmines in black markets dates back years ago, remnant from conflicts of war. For instance, landmine stockpiles in Russia were moved to secret camps and bases in mountain regions during the war, where arms dealers would buy them from soldiers or have them delivered by groups on horseback from the Trans-Caucasus after the conflict. 

Today landmines have become increasingly popular amongst terrorists, and unauthorized arms trade has flourished within the past two decades in countries dealing with internal strife such as Afghanistan. Landmines belong to a class of low-level explosives, a part of the single most common weapon in a terrorist arsenal. They are purchased from the black market or stolen from an armoury in bulk, then randomly dispersed in populated areas, with the purpose of terrorizing civilians, causing casualties and preventing access to water sources, fishing points and fields.

The use of landmines by non-state armed groups has occurred recently in at least nine countries, namely Afghanistan and India. While it is true that in the past most users had been combatants, in recent years protesting civilians in these places purchase these weapons with the intention of intimidating the population, objecting and challenging the government.

 Terrorists who have possession of these landmines are also trained in construction, assembling and emplacement of these explosives. It is noted that over ten thousand pan-Islamic Jihadis have trained and passed through Al Qaeda Camps in Afghanistan, most receiving training in dealing with these landmines that are classified as basic low-level weapons.

 A reason why a black market even exists for landmines is because there is still a supply and production for this heinous trade. Hence, a growing controversy has sparked amongst the community with protests who are sceptic about the ambiguity of state parties who did not pledge to the landmine treaty. All 11 states: China, Cuba, India, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, Vietnam and Singapore still reserve the right to the production of mines until the respective governments formally commit to no further production. Therefore, an increasing revulsion at this murderous trade has risen, encouraging a number of organizations including UNICEF to refuse business with companies involved in the sale or production of such weapons.

 Between 5 and 10 million more mines are produced each year, prospering the deadly trade with earnings of $50 to $180 million projected annually. Yemen, one of the first countries to sign the treaty, was accused of using landmines to fend off rebel fighters in 2011. Non-signatories of the mine ban treaty, including the governments of Syria and Myanmar are also said to still plant mines, according to the Human Rights Watch. The U.S was even producing them until the late 90s, and they continue to use them along the South and North Korean border. Even Singapore, which has released a statement through ST Engineering that they will cease the production of landmines and expressed their support for the treaty, has not taken any further steps to prove the full cease in production.

 Though studies show that landmines are obtained from the black market through illegal transfers, we are left uncertain as to whom the direct suppliers are. A significant example of one would be from the 90s, depicting how a Parisian businessman made use of illegal transfers by using his wife’s account to funnel millions in bribes to Angolan military and government officials to seal contracts for landmines and other weapons during the country’s civil war. Prosecutors claim that an estimated of $791 million worth of arms and material were illegally dispatched to forces in exchange for oil to multinational companies. It took 7 years of investigation to uncover the unacknowledged transfers before cracking the case. This case study constructs the possibility that government corruption could be the link that connects them to the supply of landmines flourishing in terrorist communities today.

 With this study, it becomes easy for activists to draw correlations and make claims about the governments’ production between the never-ending supply of landmines toward black markets globally. Without the full halt to the production of landmines, the existence of black markets and devastating effects of landmines will prevail.

 Over 110 million landmines remain hidden all over the world. It is estimated that around one person is killed or maimed by an anti-personnel landmine every 15 minutes, with 300,000 or more disabled children who seek medical attention worldwide. Treating landmine victims are costly, requiring extensive rehabilitative services, surgery, blood transfusions, artificial limbs and skilled doctors, impoverishing the communities. To add, these explosives render large tracts of agricultural land unusable, as they remain active for 50 years.

 Though there are other aspects that clout the supply chain, investigating the possibilities will require extensive research that might take infinite years to unfold. Studies have stated that it is also impossible to know with certainty if a country has ceased production, and if nations continue to trade landmines when they say they have stopped, the evidence may eventually turn up in the ground through de-mining.

 However, with the effects of landmines causing great harm socio-economically and the mounting stockpile becoming a pressing issue globally, the rest of the governments have been pressured to fully commit to the cessation of these lethal ordnance to prevent an outlet of supply for the black market.

 References: 

1.           Monitoring and Research Committee, ICBL-CMC Governance Board (2016) Landmine Monitor 2016. Available at: http://the-monitor.org/media/2386748/Landmine-Monitor-2016-web.pdf

2.          UNICEF The legacy of land-mines. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/sowc96/9ldmines.htm

3.          The Arms Project, Africa Watch Landmines in Mozambique. Available at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/MOZAMB943.pdf

4.          Facts about Landmines (2013) Available at: http://www.care.org/emergencies/facts-about-landmines

 5.          Bradshaw-Smith, A. (2015) Demining Colombia will take 10 years and cost $200M. Available at: http://colombiareports.com/demining-colombia-will-take-10-years-and-cost-200m/

 6.         A history of Landmines Available at: http://www.icbl.org/en-gb/problem/a-history-of-landmines.aspx

 7.          Malcolm W. Nance (2013) Terrorist Recognition Handbook. Second edn. Taylor and Francis Group.

 8.         Seeker Daily (2015) Which countries still have active Landmines? Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3n9AngJm3c (Accessed: 3 February 2017).

 9.         Robert Keeley (2013) Understanding Landmines and Mine Action. Available at: http://web.mit.edu/demining/assignments/understanding-landmines.pdf

 10.    Singapore Cluster Munition ban policy (2016) Available at: http://www.the-monitor.org/en-gb/reports/2016/singapore/cluster-munition-ban-policy.aspx#ftn4

 11.       Nicholas Gilby No-Nonsense Guide to the Arms Trade, New Edition. Between the Lines.

 12.      Lydia Monin (2011) The Devil’s Gardens: The Story of Landmines. Random House.