Activist urges land mine ban

As part of White Dog Cafe's "Table Talk," 1997 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Jody Williams spoke to a crowd of over 50 people last night about the work of an anti-land mine group called Physicians for Human Rights. During the lecture, Williams, 48, described an experience in which she emerged unharmed after walking gingerly across a desert in Cairo to determine if Egyptian government officials had removed millions of dangerous land mines. She added, though, that many people living in Africa, South America and Asia are not as lucky and are often unfairly victimized by land mines. Founded in 1986, PHR is a group of 50,000 doctors and citizens who aim to eliminate the production, use and trade of land mines. During a trip to Cambodia to conduct research, they discovered that one out of every 236 Cambodians is a land mine amputee and of that group, 50 percent die before receiving medical attention. "A mine field is a beautiful rice patty, a tropical rain forest, your backyard where your children play -- we learned that's what a minefield is," said Susannah Sirkin, deputy director of PHR. Because of the mines, mothers tie their children to tree trunks so they can play without fear of explosion, Williams explained. Developing nations cannot afford to remove the mines that are often left over from wars, some even from World War II. To combat these casualties, the PHR urges nations to sign and ratify the Ban Mine Treaty, which already has 135 countries as signatories. However, countries such as Russia, Israel, Iraq and the United States are missing from that list. The predominantly American campaign has not been successful in convincing President Clinton to sign the treaty. "The military of the sole remaining superpower does not want to be bound by the rules of war?" Williams asked. "I do not want to see our military continue to operate with impunity." Williams urged the crowd of Philadelphia residents to join PHR, donate generously to their fund and contact Pennsylvania senators. The audience reacted positively. "I learned a great deal tonight," community member Carolyn Chatman said. "This was not on my priority list, but after this evening, it will be on my mind when I listen to the news and the radio." Williams recalled when the treaty was first signed in Ottawa in 1997. She and her associates were up at the front accepting accolades when she noticed a small girl in the back corner of the room. The girl was actually a campaigner for the treaty -- she had lost her leg when she stepped on a land mine at age five. From the front of the room, Williams bowed deeply to the smiling girl, because "the treaty was for her and all the other victims."