ŞÎNYAR BAYÎZ

Sulaymaniyah- Pencewîn district of Sulaymaniyah is one of is the places in Iraq where most landmines are placed. There are landmines in the 60 million meters area in the district. Most of the people in the district are victims of landmines and they need special care. The citizens go to their fields in fear because landmines can explode at any moment. There is a landmine victim in almost every family in the district.

Reason: The ongoing war

The Organization of Persons with Disabilities was founded in 1996 to support the victims of landmines. The organization has more than 1,200 members, including 300 women. In Pencewîn, more than a thousand people lost their lives due to landmines. “These data are up to 2015. We haven’t recorded the casualties of landmines since then because the government and organizations haven’t provided support to us. We continue to carry out our works thanks to helpful people. These data are the data of casualties of landmines and explosive remnants of war. In the district, many women and men are disabled due to landmines and they need special care. The reason why so many people are the victims of the landmines is the 8-year war between Iraq and Iran. Pencewîn is a border district between Iraq and Iran. The government does not help people in need of special care, the citizens help them,” Serdar Eziz, a member of the organization, told JINHA.

She lost one of her legs

48-year-old Amina Mehemedi lost one of her legs due to landmines. “I lost one of my legs in 1991 when I was 20 years old. I was single at that time. I stepped on a landmine and lost one of my legs. I got a prosthetic leg. I have to get a new prosthetic leg every year. If I don’t get a new one, the old one causes pain. The members of Mine Action Management come here to just warn us against the landmines. No one has come here for two years. Therefore, we are responsible for taking care of our family and children,” she said.

“We live in fear”

40-year-old Minure Ehmedi became disabled in 2007 when she went to the field with her family. Since then, she has been in need of special care. “My father, mother, and husband were with me and they told me that I lost one of my legs. Life has been more difficult for me since then. I cannot go out because I feel pain in my leg. We live in fear that our children will step on a land mine like us.”

“I did feel nothing”

55-year-old Aftaw Mehmud is another woman who lost one of her legs due to a landmine. She told us that she lost her leg in 1992 when she stepped on a landmine at the age of 20. “I did feel nothing when the mine exploded. That's when I lost hope of living. My family, husband, and friends supported me. I was engaged at that time and got married at the hospital,” she told us. Aftaw Mehmud is now the mother of four. She emphasized that the government doesn't provide financial and moral support to her. She demanded the government ensure the safety of its citizens and remove the landmines.