9,755 people has been injured or killed by landmine in Colombia since 1990.
Of the nearly ten thousand victims of the past 22 years, more than 10% were children, while 2,044 people died from their injuries. Approximately 6,000 of the victims were members of the security forces and the rest civilians.
It is widely accepted that Colombia's two biggest rebel groups, the FARC and ELN, are most responsible for the laying of mines.
Colombia has the second highest casualty rate of landmine victims in the world, according to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL).
Colombia had 512 victims either maimed or killed due to landmines in 2010, putting the country second after Afghanistan with 1,211. Pakistan is third with 394 casualties.
Landmines killed 1,155 people around the world last year and wounded 2,848 -- a 5% increase from the previous year. The figures may be even higher as data from many countries is often incomplete.
Star of Hope has been working in Colombia since mid 1980’s through its partner Cirec. Cirec is one the finest institutions and grass root organizations regarding the work with physical injures regardless the cause. They have had around 40,000 patients, and many of them are landmine victims.
The pictures above shows two landmine victims that have been helped via Star of Hope and Cirec.