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4 April: what is celebrated today
4 April is a date that compels us to look closely at the ground. Not towards beauty or spectacle, but towards what remains hidden and, precisely for that reason, lethal. It is a day dedicated to remembering that wars do not end when the weapons fall silent: their traces remain for decades, buried beneath the earth, shaping the lives of millions of people. In this case, memory is a form of protection.
International Day for Mine Awareness
The International Day for Mine Awareness has been commemorated every 4 April since 2005, at the initiative of the United Nations. Its aim is clear and urgent: to raise awareness of the human, social and economic consequences of the use of anti-personnel mines and other explosive remnants of war, as well as to support victims.
Landmines do not distinguish between soldiers and civilians. They remain active long after conflicts have ended and turn fields, roads and entire villages into areas of permanent risk. Children playing, farmers working the land and families returning to their homes after a war face an invisible danger that can change a life in a second.
In addition to their physical impact — amputations, irreversible injuries or death — mines generate fear, forced displacement and impoverishment. Entire communities become isolated, unable to cultivate their land or rebuild their future. Therefore, mine action is not only a matter of security, but also of human rights, sustainable development and social justice.
The removal of mines and explosives is a slow and complex task requiring international cooperation, technology, training and, above all, political will. Every mine removed is a step towards a safer environment, an opportunity to return the land to those who inhabit it and a concrete way to build peace where there was once conflict.
4 April is not a comfortable commemoration. It is a call not to forget, to support demining efforts and to recognise that true reconstruction begins when the ground becomes a place where people can walk without fear again.