Keeping IDPs Safe: The Need for Mine Risk Education

For internally displaced persons (IDPs), awareness of the risks posed by explosive hazards and understanding the rules of safe behaviour are not only relevant but essential. Many individuals who have been forced to leave their homes due to hostilities dream of returning to their homeland. However, the reality is that hidden dangers may still remain in the recently de-occupied territories: mined roads, landings, water banks, roadsides, and other areas where mines, unexploded ordnance, or explosive devices may be concealed.

Mine risk specialists from the Ukrainian Red Cross conduct information sessions for Zhytomyr residents and IDPs who have arrived from frontline or occupied regions. The primary objective is to equip people with the necessary knowledge to return home safely and avoid potential dangers.

Recommendations for avoiding danger in mined areas:

• Do not approach unfamiliar objects or attempt to move them.
• Avoid areas that appear abandoned or potentially dangerous (such as forests, plantations, or roadsides).

If you find yourself in a mined area:

• Stop. Do not move!
• Warn others.
• Call 101 or 102.
• As our experts note:

“Awareness of mine risks is the first step toward saving lives. By sharing this information, we help people return home with minimal risks to their safety.”