Mine Risk Education

Mine Risk Education (MRE) helps people to safely live, work and travel through areas contaminated with landmines and/or unexploded ordnance (UXO).

MRE is more than safety message delivery. The MAG approach ensures that the target audience has the knowledge and skills required to adopt feasible strategies and take appropriate action which will keep themselves and others safe.

A Mine (and UXO) Risk Education session in Angola.

The design and implementation of MRE activities varies considerably depending on the target audience (age, gender, literacy etc.), the context in which they live and work and the underlying reasons for risk taking behaviour. The choice of content and discussion is tailored to the target audience but may include:

• Recognition of commonly found remnants of conflict
• Known areas of contamination and accidents in the locality
• Areas likely to be mined, warning clues and signs
• How to find out about safe and dangerous areas
• How to carry out daily activities safely
• How to keep others safe, e.g. returnees, younger siblings
• How to report a dangerous item
• What to do in an emergency situation
• Alternative strategies that could be implemented by the community and/or outside agencies (e.g. identification of land for safe play areas, new bore hole drilled in a safe area etc.) to minimise risk

MRE can be delivered in a variety of ways such as through radio and TV broadcasts, participatory face to face discussions, billboards, posters and drama.

MAG also trains trainers (e.g. teachers, religious/village leaders) to deliver MRE. MAG designs and distributes materials, which supports the delivery of MRE such as school curricula, safe village packs and a range of small media.

Note: see also the Community Liaison page

Jargon buster

CL - Community Liaison. How MAG gathers, analyses and disseminates information in order to identify and implement the most effective solutions to the obstacles and dangers caused by remnants of conflict.

EOD - Explosive ordnance disposal. The safe removal and controlled destruction of unexploded, abandoned and other ordnance.

ERW - Explosive remnants of war. Any type of explosive weapons, including ammunition, but not including landmines.

IDP - Internally displaced person/people. People who've been forced to move to other areas of their own country due to conflict.

MANPADS - Man portable air defence systems. Portable launchers of anti-aircraft missile systems.

MAT - Mine Action Team. Specially trained multi-skilled teams who detect and remove the remnants of conflict.

Mine action. The field we work in relating to the clearance of the remnants of conflict.

MRE - Mine Risk Education. Life-saving information we provide to those immediately at risk.

NGO - Non-governmental organisation.

Remnants of conflict. All items recovered and destroyed as part of MAG’s activities, including anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines, ERW, UXO and SALW.

SALW - Small arms and light weapons. Small arms include revolvers, self-loading pistols, rifles and carbines, sub-machine guns, assault rifles, light machine guns. Light weapons include hand-held under-barrel and mounted grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, portable anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, recoilless rifles, portable launchers of anti-tank missile and rocket systems, portable launchers of anti-aircraft missile systems (MANPADS), mortars of less than 100mm calibre.

UXO - Unexploded ordnance. Unexploded bombs, rockets, missiles, mortars, grenades and more.