On the recordMarch 10, 2011
I rise today with my friend and colleague from Vermont, Senator Leahy, and 20 co-sponsors to introduce the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2011. Cluster munitions are large bombs, rockets, or artillery shells that contain up to hundreds of small submunitions, or individual 'bomblets.' They are intended for attacking enemy troop formations and armor covering over a half mile radius. But, in reality, they pose a deadly threat to innocent civilians. Before I discuss our legislation, I would like to share a few stories that show what these weapons can do. Several months after the end of the Iraq war, Ahmed, 12 years old from Kebala, Iraq, was walking with his 9-year-old brother and picked up what he thought was just a shiny object, but was, in fact, a cluster bomb. It exploded and Ahmed lost his right hand and three fingers off his left hand. He also lost an eye and suffered shrapnel wounds to his torso and head. A young shepherd, Akim, 13 years old, from Al-Radwaniya, Iraq, was playing on his parents' farm when it was hit by a cluster bomb attack. He suffered burns to his lower limbs and multiple fractures to his right leg. His wounds became infected and he developed pressure ulcers. In 2003, 30 years after the Vietnam war, Dan, 9 years old from Phalanexay, Laos, was injured when he picked up and played with a cluster bomb. It exploded. He suffered massive abdominal trauma, multiple shrapnel wounds, and a broken arm and leg.
