In Cambodia, Mozambique, Angola and many other countries, Handicap International's teams soon came to realize that fitting artificial limbs and providing rehabilitation was not enough. Faced with the ever-increasing number of distressed and suffering  mine victims, Handicap International decided to denounce the cynicism and cowardice of these weapons by obtaining a ban.

 
We therefore decided to launch the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) in 1992 along with five other NGOs*. Through petitions, speeches, media interventions, national and international events, Handicap International and the other ICBL members have increasingly publicized the issue for five years.  The campaign has resulted in more widespread knowledge of the danger of these weapons. Several million citizens have signed the petition to obtain a ban on landmines and to show their support for the victims. This unprecedented wave of support from the general public, coupled with the political lobbying of governments, led to the signing of the Ottawa Treaty on December 3rd, 1997.  This treaty banned the use, storage, production and transfer of landmines and ordered their destruction.

On December 10^th of the same year the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded collectively to the organizations that form the International Campaign.

The fight goes on...

Nearly 10 years after the signing the treaty the Landmine Monitor* annual report paints a bleak picture: although the use of landmines has decreased, these weapons still shed blood in 33 countries or territories, killing or maiming one victim every 30 minutes.

On a humanitarian level this fight is obviously more crucial than ever but it also vital on a political level to keep the pressure up on the 40 states which still refuse to sign the Mine Ban Treaty. The fight is also essential in order to increase the amount of international funding devoted to mine clearance and victim assistance which today falls well short of what is required to meet the huge needs.

_{*The Landmine Monitor is a body created by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, designed to monitor the application of the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty by State parties, and more generally to assess the international community's response to the issue of antipersonnel landmines.  Published annually since 1999 the Landmine Monitor Report is coordinated by an editorial committee composed of four organizations: Mines Action, Handicap International, Human Rights Watch and Norwegian People's Aid.}