The problem of Cluster Bombs

• Cluster bombs kill and injure civilians at the time of use because they indiscriminately scatter explosives over a wide area.  
• As so many of the submunitions fail to work properly, huge quantities are left on the ground and, like landmines, remain a lethal threat to anyone in the area.  
• These weapons kill and injure people trying to rebuild their lives after conflict. They stop people from being able to use their land and the threat remains for decades.  
• Unexploded submunitions can be very sensitive to movement and must be destroyed where they are found, making them especially challenging for clearance operators.
• The small size and curious shapes of submunitions make them particularly appealing to children, who make up a large proportion of the casualties.  

Despite years of intensive lobby, countries failed to come to a ban on cluster munitions within the UN Convention on Conventional Weapons. Following this failure, the Norwegian government initiated a new process to come to a ban on these weapons. The Cluster Munition Coalition has played an important role in this so called "Oslo process". Read more

The Netherlands have signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Read more