However, the grim statistic is just the surface of a larger crisis, independent human rights experts warned on Friday, as the military junta intensifies its attacks on civilians, including persons with disabilities.
A child who lost his left leg after accidentally stepping on a landmine in his family’s paddy fields in central Myanmar.
Victims facing criminalisation
The consequences for landmine victims extend beyond physical injuries.
Amputees, already grappling with life-altering trauma, are being criminalised by the junta, which associates missing limbs with resistance activity.
“Now amputees are being forced into hiding to avoid harassment and arrest. Losing a limb is being seen as evidence of a crime,” the experts said.
Reality far worse
Amidst the dire picture, the reality is even worse for landmine victims and their families.
“I was heartbroken talking with a young woman who had lost her leg after stepping on a landmine near her home,” Mr. Andrews said.
“But I was infuriated when her doctor told me that she had no hope of securing a prosthesis because junta forces were blocking access to the materials necessary to build one,” he added.
Call for action
Mr. Andrews and Ms. Hagrass urged UN Member States to take coordinated measures to weaken the military junta’s ability to harm civilians.
They also called on all parties to the conflict in Myanmar to immediately stop laying landmines and begin removing them without delay.
Special Rapporteurs are independent human rights experts, appointed by the UN Human Rights Council as part of its Special Procedures. They are mandated to monitor and report on specific thematic issues or country situations and work on a voluntary basis.
They serve in their individual capacity, are not UN staff and do not receive a salary.