Sponsored by the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines and the Friends Committee on National Legislation
May 17, 2008

Imagine a scenario in which walking to school, working on the family farm, or playing were deadly activities. That’s the situation faced by millions of school-age children in two dozen countries—the result of wars long over.

The event will take place on Saturday, May 17 from 11am to 1pm on the Ellipse (just south of the White House). The event—dubbed the “1st (and hopefully last) Annual Cluster Bomb Olympics”—is intended to draw attention to the perilous conditions under which millions of children live in cluster-bomb affected countries. Cluster bombs leave behind unexploded, but still deadly, “dud” submunitions.

For instance, following a war in 2006, people in southern Lebanon still face some 800,000 small deadly bombs in their gardens, school yards, orchards, etc. More than 300 people—mainly children, farmers and deminers—have been wounded or killed by these small bombs since the war ended.

And in Laos, 35 years after the U.S. heavily cluster bombed that country (as part of the Vietnam War), more than 200 people are still killed or wounded each year by cluster submunitions.

Twenty-five other countries are afflicted with this deadly litter. In all cases, the use of these weapons has resulted in more harm to civilians than to soldiers. And in all cases, young people are particularly drawn to these curious looking objects.

The event is timed to publicize global negotiations to ban cluster bombs, which will begin two days later (May 19) in Dublin, Ireland. Over 100 countries will be at these negotiations, but not the U.S. government. As part of the event, after the welcoming short speech and the “cluster bomb Olympics,” students and other participants will have a chance to leaflet passersby about the issue and to collect signatures on a petition urging the Pentagon to stop using weapons that cause unacceptable harm to civilians.

The event is open to kids of all ages, but it is particularly designed for middle school and high school-age students and adults.

For more information about the campaign to ban cluster bombs, check out: www.banclusterbombs.org and www.uscbl.org