The deadly legacy of cluster bombs | Laura Boushnak

Prevodilac: Mile Živković Lektor: Milenka Okuka

I once had this nightmare:

Jednom sam imala noćnu moru:

I'm standing in the middle of a deserted field full of land mines.

stojim u sred napuštenog polja punog nagaznih mina.

In real life, I love to hike,

U stvarnosti, volim da pešačim,

but every time I want to go on a hike, it makes me nervous.

ali svaki put kada želim da idem da pešačim, postanem nervozna.

I have this thought in the back of my mind

U pozadini uma imam pomisao

that I might lose a limb.

da ću izgubiti neki ud.

This underlying fear started 10 years ago,

Ovaj strah u pozadini počeo je pre 10 godina,

nakon što sam upoznala Mohameda, koji je preživeo eksploziju kasetne bombe

after I met Mohammed, a cluster bomb survivor

of the summer 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War in Lebanon.

na leto 2006. u ratu Izraela i Hezbolaha u Libanu.

Mohammed, like so many other survivors all around the world,

Poput mnogih drugih preživelih širom sveta, Mohamed je morao

had to live through the horrifying repercussions of cluster munitions

da proživljava zastrašujuće posledice kasetnih bombi

on a daily basis.

svakoga dana.

When the one-month conflict started in Lebanon,

Kada je jednomesečni sukob započeo u Libanu,

I was still working at Agence France-Presse in Paris.

još uvek sam radila u Parizu u Agenciji Frans pres.

I remember how I was glued to the screens,

Sećam se kako sam bila zalepljena za ekran,

anxiously following the news.

prateći vesti s nestrpljenjem.

I wanted to reassure myself

Želela sam da se uverim

that the falling bombs missed my parents' home.

da su bombe padale daleko od doma mojih roditelja.

When I arrived in Beirut on assignment to cover that war,

Kada sam stigla u Bejrut, po zadatku, da pokrivam priču o ratu,

I was relieved to be united with my family,

laknulo mi je jer sam bila sa svojom porodicom,

after they had finally managed to escape southern Lebanon.

nakon što su konačno uspeli da pobegnu iz južnog Libana.

The day the war was over,

Dana kada je rat bio gotov,

I remember seeing this image --

sećam se da sam videla ovu sliku -

one of blocked roads,

blokirani putevi,

of displaced people eagerly rushing south, back to their homes,

raseljeni ljudi koji s nestrpljenjem jure nazad na jug, ka svojim domovima,

regardless of what they would find.

bez obzira na to šta će tamo zateći.

An estimated four million cluster submunitions

Tokom konflikta od 34 dana, procenjuje se

were spread in Lebanon during the 34-day conflict.

da je bačeno oko četiri miliona kasetnih bombi u Libanu.

Mohammed lost both legs during the last week of the conflict.

Mohamed je izgubio obe noge tokom poslednje nedelje konflikta.

The fact that he lives a five-minute drive from my parents' home

Činjenica da živi na pet minuta od mojih roditelja,

made it easier to follow him through the years.

olakšala je to da ga pratim tokom godina.

It was now almost 10 years since we first met.

Sada ima skoro 10 godina otkako smo se upoznali.

I saw the young boy

Videla sam dečaka

who had to endure physical and emotional trauma.

koji je morao da se nosi sa fizičkim i emotivnim bolom.

I saw the teenager who tried to offer his friends tattoos,

Videla sam tinejdžera koji je pokušavao da tetovira svoje prijatelje

in return for a set fee of five dollars.

u zamenu za sumu od pet dolara.

And I know the young, jobless man who spends hours surfing the Internet

A znam i mladog, nezaposlenog čoveka koji surfuje internetom satima,

trying to meet a girl who might become his girlfriend.

pokušavajući da upozna devojku koja bi mogla da bude sa njim u vezi.

His fate and the effects of losing his legs

Njegova sudbina i posledice gubitka nogu

are now his daily reality.

sada su njegova svakodnevna stvarnost.

Survivors of bomb trauma like Mohammed

Preživeli iz napada bombi, kao što je Mohamed,

have to deal with so many details that never occur to us.

moraju da se nose sa toliko detalja koji nama nikada ne padaju na pamet.

Who would have imagined

Ko bi pomislio

that so many daily tasks we do or take for granted,

da toliko svakodnevnih zadataka koje radimo ili uzimamo zdravo za gotovo,

such as going to the beach or even picking up something from the floor,

poput odlaska na plažu ili prosto toga da pokupimo nešto sa poda,

would become sources of stress and anxiety?

mogu da postanu uzroci stresa i anksioznosti?

Well, that's what eventually became of Mohammed,

To se na kraju desilo Muhamedu,

due to his inflexible prosthetic legs.

zbog njegovih krutih prostetičkih nogu.

Ten years ago, I had no clue what a cluster bomb was,

Pre deset godina, nisam imala pojma šta je to kasetna bomba,

nor its horrifying implications.

kao ni šta su njene stravične posledice.

I learned that this indiscriminate weapon was used

Saznala sam da se ovo oružje, koje ne bira žrtve, koristi

in so many parts of the world

u toliko krajeva sveta

and continues to kill on a regular basis,

i nastavlja da ubija svakodnevno,

without distinguishing between a military target

ne razlikujući vojne mete

or a child.

i decu.

I naively asked myself,

Naivno sam se upitala:

"But seriously, who made those weapons?

"Ozbiljno, ko proizvodi to oružje?

And what for?"

I zašto?"

Let me explain to you what a cluster bomb is.

Da vam objasnim šta je to kasetna bomba.

It's a large canister filled with bomblets.

To je veliki kanister pun manjih bombi.

When it's dropped from the air,

Kada se ispusti iz vazduha,

it opens up in midair to release hundreds of bomblets.

otvori se tokom pada kako bi ispustila stotine malih bombi.

They scatter around wide areas

One se rašire po velikim površinama

and on impact,

i u trenutku udara,

many fail to explode.

mnoge ne eksplodiraju.

Those unexploded ones end up just like landmines --

Te neeksplodirane završe poput nagaznih mina,

sitting on the ground,

stoje na zemlji

waiting for their next target.

i čekaju svoju narednu žrtvu.

If someone steps on them by accident

Ako neko slučajno nagazi na njih

or picks them up,

ili ih uzme u ruku,

they can explode.

one mogu da eksplodiraju.

These weapons are extremely unpredictable,

Ovo oružje je veoma nepredvidljivo,

which makes the threat even bigger.

čime je pretnja još veća.

One day, a farmer can work his land without a problem.

Jednog dana, poljoprivrednik može da obrađuje svoju zemlju bez problema.

The next day, he can make fire and burn some branches,

Narednog dana, mogao bi da zapali neko granje

and the submunitions close by could be set off because of the heat.

i obližnje bombe mogle bi da se aktiviraju zbog vrućine.

The problem is children mistake those bomblets for toys,

Problem je u tome što deca od bombi misle da su igračke,

because they can look like bouncy balls or soda cans.

pošto mogu da izgledaju kao loptice ili kao limenke od soka.

Being a documentary photographer,

Pošto sam dokumentarna fotografkinja,

I decided to go back to Lebanon a few months after the conflict ended

odlučila sam da se vratim u Liban nekoliko meseci nakon konflikta

to meet cluster bomb survivors.

i upoznam preživele nakon udara bombi.

And I met a few --

Upoznala sam ih nekoliko -

Hussein and Rasha,

Husein i Raša,

who both lost a leg to submunitions.

oboje su izgubili noge zbog bombe.

Their stories are similar to so many other kids' stories across the world

Njihove priče slične su pričama mnoge druge dece širom sveta

and are a testimony to the horrifying implications

i služe kao svedočenje zastrašujućih posledica

of the continuous use of such weapons.

stalne upotrebe takvog oružja.

That's when I met Mohammed, in January 2007.

Tada sam upoznala Mohameda, u januaru 2007.

He was 11 years old,

Imao je 11 godina

and I met him exactly four months after his accident.

i upoznala sam ga tačno četiri meseca nakon njegove nesreće.

When I first saw him,

Kada sam ga prvi put videla,

he was going through painful physiotherapy

išao je na bolnu fizioterapiju

to recover from his fresh wounds.

kako bi se oporavio od svežih rana.

Still in shock at such a young age,

Još uvek šokiran u tako ranom uzrastu,

Mohammed was struggling to get used to his new body.

Mohamed se borio da se privikne na svoje novo telo.

He would even wake up sometimes at night wanting to scratch his lost feet.

Čak bi se nekada budio noću sa željom da počeše stopala.

What drew me closer to his story was my instant realization

Ono što me je privuklo njegovoj priči je to što sam odmah razumela

of the difficulties Mohammed was likely to face in the future --

poteškoće sa kojima bi se Mohamed verovatno sreo u budućnosti -

that what he has been suffering while adjusting to his injury

da će ono od čega je patio dok se privikavao na svoju povredu

at the age of 11,

sa 11 godina,

would increase manyfold.

biti mnogostruko uvećano.

Even before his disability,

Čak i pre svog hendikepa,

Mohammed's life wasn't easy.

Mohamedov život nije bio lak.

He was born in the Rashidieh Camp for Palestinian refugees,

Rodio se u kampu Rašidije za palestinske izbeglice

and this is where he still lives.

i tu živi još uvek.

Lebanon holds some 400,000 Palestinian refugees,

U Libanu je oko 400 000 izbeglica iz Palestine

and they suffer from discriminatory laws.

i pate zbog zakona koji ih diskriminišu.

They're not allowed to work in the public sector

Nije im dozvoljeno da rade u javnom sektoru,

or practice certain professions

ni da se bave određenim zanimanjima

and are denied the right to own property.

i nemaju pravo na privatno vlasništvo.

This is one of the reasons

Ovo je jedan od razloga

why Mohammed doesn't really regret dropping out of school

što Mohamedu nije baš žao što je napustio školu

right after his injury.

odmah nakon svoje povrede.

He said, "What's the point of a university degree

Rekao je: "Koja je poenta fakultetske diplome

when I can't find a job to start with?"

kada uopšte ne mogu da nađem posao?"

Cluster bomb use creates a vicious circle of impact on communities,

Kasetne bombe stvaraju začarani krug uticaja na zajednice,

and not only the lives of their victims.

i to ne samo u životima svojih žrtava.

Many who get injured by this weapon drop out of school,

Mnogi koji su pogođeni ovim oružjem napuštaju škole,

can't find jobs or even lose their jobs,

ne mogu da nađu poslove ili čak izgube svoje poslove

therefore losing the ability to provide for their families.

i tako gube mogućnost da izdržavaju svoje porodice.

This is not to mention the continuous physical pain

A pritom ne spominjem stalni fizički bol

and the experience of feeling isolated.

i osećaj izolacije.

These weapons affect the poorest of the poor.

Ovo oružje pogađa one najsiromašnije.

The high medical cost is a burden to the families.

Visoki troškovi lečenja veliko su opterećenje za porodice.

They end up relying on humanitarian agencies,

Na kraju se oslanjaju na humanitarne organizacije,

which is insufficient and unsustainable,

što je nedovoljno i neodrživo,

especially when injuries require lifelong support to the injured.

naročito kada je zbog povreda povređenima potrebna doživotna pomoć.

Ten years after Mohammed's injury,

Deset godina nakon Mohamedove povrede,

he is still unable to afford proper prosthetic legs.

on još uvek ne može da priušti prave prostetičke noge.

He's very cautious with his steps,

Korača veoma pažljivo,

as a couple of falls over the years

pošto je nekoliko dosadašnjih padova

brought him embarrassment among his friends.

za njega donelo sram pred prijateljima.

He joked that since he doesn't have legs,

Šalio se da pošto nema noge,

some days he tries to walk on his hands.

nekad pokušava da hoda na rukama.

One of the worst yet invisible impacts of the weapon

Jedan od najgorih ali i nevidljivih uticaja ovog oružja

is the psychological scars it leaves.

su psihološki ožiljci koje ostavlja.

In one of Mohammed's early medical reports,

U jednom od prvih medicinskih izveštaja,

he was diagnosed with signs of PTSD.

Mohamed je imao znake posttraumatskog poremećaja.

He suffered from anxiety, poor appetite, sleep disturbance

Patio je od anksioznosti, lošeg apetita, manjka sna

and showed signs of anger.

i pokazivao je znake besa.

The reality is Mohammed never received proper help to fully recover.

U stvarnosti, Mohamed nikada nije dobio pravu pomoć da se potpuno oporavi.

His current obsession is to leave Lebanon at any cost --

Njegova trenutna opsesija je da po svaku cenu napusti Liban,

even if it meant embarking on a hazardous journey

čak i kada bi to značilo otisnuti se na opasno putovanje

along with refugees drifting towards Europe today through the Mediterranean.

zajedno sa izbeglicama koje danas idu ka Evropi preko Mediterana.

Knowing how risky such a journey would be,

Znajući koliko bi to bilo rizično,

he said, "If I were to die on the way,

rekao je: "Kada bih usput umro,

it doesn't matter."

bilo bi svejedno."

To Mohammed, he is dead here, anyway.

Za Mohameda, on je tamo ionako mrtav.

Cluster bombs are a world problem,

Kasetne bombe su svetski problem,

as this munition keeps destroying and hurting whole communities

pošto ovo oružje nastavlja da uništava i povređuje cele zajednice

for generations to come.

generacijama.

In an online interview with the director of the Mines Advisory Group,

U intervjuu preko interneta sa direktorom Grupe za savetovanje o minama,

Jamie Franklin,

Džejmijem Frenklinom,

he said,

rekao je:

"The US forces dropped over two million tons of munitions over Laos.

"Snage SAD-a bacile su preko dve tone municije širom Laosa.

If they couldn't find their targets in Vietnam,

Ako ne bi mogli da pronađu mete u Vijetnamu,

there were free-drop areas in Laos where planes would drop their loads

postojale su zone za slobodno bacanje u Laosu gde bi avioni izbacivali teret

before going back to base,

pre povratka u bazu,

because it's dangerous to land with loaded planes."

jer je opasno sletati sa punim avionima."

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross,

Kako navodi Međunarodni komitet Crvenog krsta,

in Laos alone -- one of the poorest countries in the world --

samo u Laosu, jednoj od najsiromašnjih zemalja na svetu,

nine to 27 million unexploded submunitions remain.

ostalo je od devet do 27 miliona neeksplodiranih bombi.

Some 11,000 people have been killed or injured since 1973.

Od 1973, ubijeno je ili povređeno oko 11 000 ljudi.

This lethal weapon has been used by over 20 states during armed conflicts

Ovo smrtonostno oružje koristilo je preko 20 država tokom oružanih sukoba

in over 35 countries,

u preko 35 zemalja,

such as Ukraine, Iraq and Sudan.

poput Ukrajine, Iraka i Sudana.

So far, 119 states have joined an international treaty

Do sada je 119 država pristupilo međunarodnom dogovoru

banning cluster bombs,

za zabranu kasetnih bombi,

which is officially called the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

koji se zvanično naziva Konvencijom za kasetnu municiju.

But some of the biggest producers of cluster munitions --

Ali neki od najvećih proizvođača kasetne municije,

namely, the United States, Russia and China --

naime, SAD, Rusija i Kina,

remain outside of this lifesaving treaty

ne pristupaju ovom dogovoru koji spašava živote

and continue to produce them,

i nastavljaju da ih proizvode,

reserve the right to produce them in the future,

zadržavaju pravo da ih proizvode u budućnosti,

keep those harmful weapons in their stockpiles

skladište to štetno oružje

and even possibly use them in the future.

i čak će ih možda i koristiti u budućnosti.

Cluster bombs have reportedly been used most recently

Kasetne bombe su navodno skoro korišćene

in the ongoing conflicts in Yemen and Syria.

u trenutnim konfliktima u Jemenu i Siriji.

According to research on the worldwide investments

Prema istraživanju svetskih investicija

in cluster munitions producers

u proizvođače kasetne municije

by Pax, a Dutch-based NGO,

koje je izvršio Paks, NVO iz Holandije,

financial institutions invested billions of US dollars

finansijske institucije uložile su milijarde dolara

into companies that make cluster munitions.

u kompanije koje proizvode kasetnu municiju.

The majority of these institutions are based in countries

Većina ovih institucija nalazi se u zemljama

that have not yet signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

koje još nisu potpisale Konvenciju o kasetnoj municiji.

Getting back to Mohammed,

Vraćam se na Mohameda,

one of the few jobs he was able to find was picking lemons.

jedan od retkih poslova koje je mogao da nađe je da bere limun.

When I ask him if it's safe to work in the field he said,

Kada sam ga pitala da li je bezbedno da radi u polju, rekao je:

"I'm not sure."

"Nisam siguran."

Research shows that cluster munitions often contaminate areas

Istraživanja pokazuju da kasetna municija često zagađuje područja

where agriculture is the main source of income.

gde je poljoprivreda glavni izvor prihoda.

According to Handicap International's research,

Prema istraživanju organizacije Handicap International,

98 percent of those killed or injured by cluster munitions are civilians.

98% onih koje ubije ili povredi kasetna municija su civili.

Eighty-four percent of casualties are males.

84% žrtava su muškarci.

In countries where these people have no choice

U zemljama gde ovi ljudi nemaju izbora

but to work in those fields,

osim da rade u tim poljima,

they simply do it

oni to prosto rade

and risk it.

i rizikuju.

Mohammed is the only male to three sisters.

Mohamed je jedino muško dete pored tri sestre.

Culturally, he's expected to provide for his family,

Kulturološki, od njega se očekuje da izdržava porodicu,

but he simply can't.

ali on to prosto ne može.

He tried to have so many different jobs,

Pokušao je sa mnogo različitih poslova,

but he couldn't keep any due to his physical disability

ali nije mogao da ih zadrži zbog svog fizičkog hendikepa

and the less-than-friendly environment to people with disabilities,

i neprijateljski nastrojenog okruženja za ljude sa hendikepom,

to say the least.

da budem blaga.

It hurts him a lot when he goes out looking for a job,

Mnogo ga boli kada ode da traži posao

and he's turned away

i odbiju ga

with a small amount of money paid to him out of pity.

nudeći mu malo novca koji mu daju iz sažaljenja.

He said, "I'm not here to beg for money,

Rekao je: "Nisam ovde da prosim novac,

I just want to earn it."

samo želim da ga zaradim."

Mohammed today is 21 years old.

Danas Mohamed ima 21 godinu.

He's illiterate,

Nepismen je

and he communicates with voice messages.

i komunicira putem glasovnih poruka.

Here is one of his messages.

Evo jedne od njegovih poruka.

(Audio) Mohammed: (Speaking in Arabic)

(Audio snimak) Mohamed: (Priča na arapskom)

Laura Boushnak: He said, "My dream is to run,

Laura Bušnak: Rekao je: "Moj san je da trčim,

and I'm pretty sure once I start running,

i siguran sam da kada bih počeo da trčim,

I would never stop."

nikada se ne bih zaustavio."

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)