Cluster bombs can be dropped from aircraft or fired from the ground and are designed to break open in mid-air, releasing the sub-munitions and scattering them over an area that can be as big as several football fields.

Cluster bombs are indiscriminate weapons.

When the sub-munitions explode, they fire hundreds of fragments of metal that travel at the speed of a bullet. Anybody within the area, military or civilian, is very likely to be killed or seriously injured. Unlike landmines, which are designed to maim rather than kill, cluster bombs are much more likely to kill and to cause multiple casualties. Even if a victim lives, they will suffer various injuries such as loss of limbs, burns, ruptured eardrums, blindness and internal complications.

Often many sub-munitions fail to explode on impact, and huge quantities are left on the ground, remaining a fatal threat to civilians long after a conflict ends.

In many countries, accidents occur when ordinary people try to move unexploded sub-munitions due to economic necessity, curiosity or social responsibility. Civilians have to clear land for farming or to prevent children from playing with them. In Afghanistan for example, shepherds, farmers and children collecting firewood are common victims. In many poor communities, people are often injured trying to salvage bomb containers in order to sell the scrap metal.

Thanks to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, these weapons are illegal under international law as of August 1, 2010. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to get every country to join the Convention and ensure that they live up to their obligations.

To find out the latest statistics on cluster bombs, visit the Cluster Munition Monitor; or look at the major findings of the report.

Related links

Cluster Munition Monitor 2012
A global overview of developments in cluster munition ban policy for every country in the world

Cluster Munitions Coalition (CMC) Handicap International is a co-founder of the CMC. Visit their website to find out more about the international campaign against cluster bombs.