A Mountain of Shoes

Activists Draw Attention to Landmine Victims Around the World

NewsDavid Murphy — Published September 26, 2011

The fifth annual Shoe Pyramid in Montreal took place to raise awareness of victims of landmines and cluster bombs around the world. The nine-foot shoe pyramid was decked out with multi-coloured boots, sandals and shoes representing those who have lost limbs.

The work of Handicap International––the non-profit group that sponsored the event––has helped pressure the Canadian government into doing more to stop the use of landmines worldwide, said Paul Hannon, executive director of Mines Action Canada.

“Millions of miles of land have been cleared because of the Ottawa Treaty,” said Hannon. “The number of new casualties has dropped every year since the treaty came into effect.”

Signatories of the Ottawa Treaty, which was legislated in 1999, vow to end their production and use of landmines.

Handicap International estimates there are around 500,000 survivors from landmines living around the world today, with the number growing most recently from the use of the devices in Cambodia and Libya

“Unfortunately the work on landmines is not finished,” said Hannon. “Events such as this will provide us with an opportunity to celebrate what has been achieved and recommit to finishing the job.”

The task now, he said, is ratifying a treaty on cluster bombs—not just landmines. He urged members of the audience to go to a local Member of Parliament and ask them to push the topic.

In addition to speeches from organizers, there was live music, a demonstration of a landmine being defused and a performance from Montreal comedian Dorothy Rhau, who has been a strong advocate for Handicap International for years.

“What Handicap International is doing is they are fighting against the use of weapons, but also they are trying to educate people regarding handicapped people,” said Rhau. “[We] let them know that they have place in our society and that’s why I’m involved with them.”