KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, called for urgent and sustained international funding for mine clearance and awareness programs in Afghanistan, citing ongoing civilian casualties, particularly among children.
In a statement ahead of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action on April 2, Bennett raised concern over deaths and injuries caused by landmines and explosive remnants of war across the country.
He said Afghanistan remains among the countries most affected globally, with contamination from decades of conflict continuing to pose risks to civilians in both rural and urban areas.
According to Bennett, 471 civilian casualties were recorded in 2025, with children accounting for 67% of victims, most of them boys. He added that children are often injured while playing or collecting scrap metal, activities that increase their exposure to unexploded devices.
“These are not just statistics. They represent futures cut short or forever altered,” he said, describing contamination as an ongoing violation of fundamental rights, including the right to life, health and a safe environment.
Bennett said demining teams cleared large areas and destroyed significant quantities of explosives in 2025, while risk education programs helped raise awareness and reduce harm in affected communities.
However, he warned that progress remains fragile. Declining international funding in recent years has forced mine action programmes to scale down, leading to suspended clearance operations, fewer demining teams and reduced risk education services.
“As a result, vast areas remain contaminated, and communities, especially children, are left exposed to preventable harm,” he said.
He urged the international community to increase and sustain funding, stressing that mine action is essential not only for safety but also for enabling children to attend school, farmers to cultivate land and displaced families to return home safely.
“We have a collective responsibility to ensure that no more children mistake a mine for a toy,” he said.
Decades of conflict have left large parts of Afghanistan contaminated with unexploded ordnance. The United Nations estimates that 3.3 million people live within one kilometre of areas affected by mines and explosive remnants of war, heightening risks for communities living nearby.
UN officials, including Secretary-General António Guterres, have repeatedly warned that unexploded ordnance remains a major humanitarian challenge in Afghanistan and have called for increased support for mine clearance and risk education to prevent further civilian casualties.
