Syrian women deminers clear landmines to protect communities
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Lama Haj Kaddour and a team of 31 women in Idlib, Syria are clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance from fields and villages, focusing on areas inaccessible to male colleagues due to local customs.
Fourteen years of war have left Syria heavily contaminated with these dangers, even after families return to their homes. The HALO Trust, an international NGO, is supporting this all-female demining effort, which began expanding in late 2024 after operational restrictions eased.
The women not only remove mines but also educate communities about the risks and provide support to landmine survivors. Being women allows them to access homes and speak with women and children more easily than their male counterparts, a crucial factor in a conservative region. While women comprise only around 20 percent of demining staff globally, their numbers are growing in Syria, with roughly 20 percent of new trainees at The HALO Trust being women. The need is urgent.
Between the start of 2026 and late August, 49 landmine incidents killed 24 people and injured 61 across Syria. The Syrian Network for Human Rights reports at least 3,799 civilian deaths from landmines since 2011. Organizations like UNICEF are also working to educate children about mine risks, and Syria’s National Mine Action Centre is coordinating national efforts to map and clear contaminated land, hoping to enable reconstruction and allow families to safely return to their livelihoods.
