Collateral
Every day, in a range of different contexts around the world, the use of explosive weapons in populated areas causes immense harm to civilians. Their use in towns and cities in Afghanistan,
Iraq, Libya, the occupied Palestinian territory, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen, amongst others, has resulted in countless civilian casualties, widespread displacement and the destruction of vital infrastructure upon which civilians depend. Too often, civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian homes and livelihoods are accepted as “collateral damage” – a sad but inevitable side effect of war. We must challenge this narrative: the humanitarian impact of the use of bombs, rockets, mortars and other explosive weapons in towns and cities is predictable and can often be avoided.
Sometimes it is difficult to relate to those in need, especially when they are far away and their stories are reduced to numbers and statistics. But behind each and every statistic, headline, article or report on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, there are dozens, hundreds and sometimes thousands of individual stories. Sometimes we need to be confronted on a more personal level to remind ourselves that it is a person’s life behind every single number. This publication does exactly that. The individual stories told in this publication and the images of Dirk-Jan Visser speak for themselves. In a powerful and highly personal manner, the photographs give a human face to the numbers. We are mere spectators, offered a rare snapshot into the lives of ordinary people who are caught up in a tragic situation.
It is our sincere hope that these stories and photographs will move people from spectators to actors. The humanitarian harm caused by explosive weapons in populated areas, in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world, needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. It is time for states to work with UN agencies and civil society towards a political commitment that will set stronger standards and ultimately strengthen the protection of civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
Stephen O’Brien
United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
Jan Gruiters
General Director
PAX