Gender mainstreaming in mine action

The Convention on Cluster Munition (2008) underlines that "Each State Party with respect to cluster munition victims (…) shall (…) adequately provide age- and gender-sensitive assistance".[11]

The Vientiane Action Plan 2010-2015 (2010),[12] adopted at the First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munition in Lao PDR also includes gender issues in several action points, such as on Clearance and destruction of cluster munition remnants and risk reduction activities. For instance, Action 14 writes that there should be "gender-sensitive participation of the community to the development of national clearance plans, planning and prioritisation of clearance activities and land release". Action 17 states that "mine risk education should be tailored to the needs of affected communities, gender sensitive and age appropriate". In addition to the previous two, Action 22 requires states to collect sex and age disaggregated data on victims, and Action 30 that victims should be fully included in the work of the convention in a gender and age sensitive way.[12]

The Strategy of the United Nation on Mine Action 2013-2018 (2013) encourages "further efforts (…) dedicated to strengthening and mainstreaming gender perspectives in mine action planning, implementation and evaluation".[13]

The Maputo Action Plan 2014-2019 (2014)[14] was adopted during the Third Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines and on their destruction (APMBC 1997). In its introduction, it stresses that States Parties will implement the Maputo Action Plan in a cooperative, inclusive, age-appropriate and gender-sensitive manner. In the section on mine clearance, gender-sensitive mine risk education (paragraph 10), opportunities and social protection measures for all mine victims, regardless of their gender and age (paragraph 10) and gender sensitive awareness raising (paragraph 17) are mentioned. The section on International cooperation and assistance encourages State parties to articulate age- and gender-sensitive time-bound objectives and targets (paragraph 21) and to support programmes that provide accurate gender sensitive information and that promote gender mainstreaming (paragraph 22).[14]

The International Mine Action Standards (IMAS)[15] were created in 2001 and are under constant revision. They provide procedures and concrete steps to follow all UN mine action operations. However, they are also the main guide for operators and national mine action programmes to establish their own National Mine Action Standards (NMAS).[16] After the revision of IMAS in 2009,[17] the dimension of gender was included in several of them, concerning land release and handover (IMAS 07.11);[18] Mine Risk Education (IMAS 04.10[19] and IMAS 12.10);[20] non-technical surveys (IMAS 08.10).[21]

Since 2006 the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) has been conducting workshops on gender mainstreaming in mine action both in the field and in Geneva at the presence of representatives of mine action organisation, focused on explaining what gender mainstreaming is and helping countries implementing the UN guidelines.[5]

The Swiss Campaign to Ban Landmines created the Gender and Mine Action Programme in 2006 to specifically focus on the implementation of gender mainstreaming in mine action.[22]

The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) in 2013 reviewed the work of the Danish Demining Group (DDG) in Afghanistan, assessing positively the progress made in gender mainstreaming, in terms of the collection of disaggregated qualitative and quantitative data, in spite of some cultural limitations.[23]

The Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan (MAPA) has developed a Gender Mainstreaming Strategy for the period 2014-2016 with the assistance of the Gender and Mine Action Programme (GMAP). In order to share the strategy, the Mine Action Coordination Centre of Afghanistan (MACCA) organised two gender mainstreaming workshops at the end of 2014 attended by 17 partner organisations[24] in the context of a grant provided by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD)[25]

The Mine Advisory Group (MAG) – Lao PDR, through a funding from MAG and Irish Aid, conducted an assessment as part of gender mainstreaming on the priority actions to be carried out in integrating gender in mine action.[26]

The UN Gender Guidelines state that men, women, boys and girls differ in their exposure to and knowledge of the mine contamination. The Guidelines write that mine-action operators should obtain information about the mine situation from both sexes in all age groups in order for information to be complete and accurate before demining. Having more accurate information before can reduce costs because less time and money are spent on demining uncontaminated areas. Its concrete recommendations are:

• Gather data at the best times and locations for all individuals.
• Gather data from both men and women about the location of explosive devices and the projected use of cleared land.
• Also include women into the survey and clearance teams.[10]

The UN Gender Guidelines say that men, women, boys and girls differ in their behaviours and their response to mine-risk education. Its recommendations are:

• Gather data that illustrate the behaviours that put at risk people of both genders.
• Gather data that indicates how people of both genders would react to potential mine and UXO threats.
• Determine the best instructor for both genders.
• Hold MRE meetings at the most convenient times and places for recipients.
• Ensure that both genders understand properly MRE messages.
• Have women as instructors.[10]

For victim assistance, the guidelines explains that women and men have often different access to victim assistance due to cultural barriers and other obstacles. It states that mine action organisations should consider these barriers and their vulnerability to the economic, psychological and social implications of disability.[30] The Guidelines' recommendations are:

• Collect age- and sex-disaggregated data about victims, their needs and the level of access to services.
• Support survivor advocacy and awareness.
• Include women into victim assistance teams to ensure access to female victims in conservative contexts.[10]

In terms of advocacy, the guidelines state that women and men have different sensibilities to messages and access to communication channels. Mine action organisations have to consider these peculiarities in planning advocacy activities. Its recommendations are:

• Tailor advocacy initiatives to women, girls, boys and men
• Convey information on the benefits of compliance with international legal norms addressing the mine/ERW problem and victim assistance
• Encourage advocacy activities among women, girls, boys and men in mine/ERW-affected communities [10]