Integrated Mine Action

Issue: Integrated Mine Action attempts to alleviate poverty through economic development and community initiatives addressing issues related to contamination of land with Explosive Remnants of War.

Outline: Over the last three years, IWDA has worked alongside World Vision Cambodia to ensure their mine action work is based on gender analysis and considerations of the needs, impacts and benefits for women and men. We work at the village and commune levels to ensure women’s voices are included in planning processes and development activities. At the national level we work to ensure that policies and practices of integrated mine action are gender-sensitive and inclusive. 

Impact: In 2009 IWDA implemented an innovative and successful pilot project on gender sensitive Mine Risk Education. Targeting the group most at risk of landmine casualties, young men and boys, participants developed positive messages (or raps) and performed them at a hip-hop music concert for their peers, discouraging them from engaging in risk taking behaviour that leads to landmine accidents. After significant achievements in mainstreaming gender into Mine Action policy and practice in Cambodia since 2006, IWDA exited the project in January 2010.

This project also promotes women’s civil and political participation.