Ban Advocates are a group of women and men from diverse communities around the world affected by cluster munitions. Supported by Handicap International, the group advocates for a ban on cluster munitions and the full application of the rights of survivors and affected communities.
Ban Advocates film shows how survivors can bring about change
A new documentary film “Ban Advocates: from Victims to Champions”, directed by Chris Anderson, shows how this group of cluster munition survivors and affected individuals supported by Handicap International have played a crucial role in the process towards a global ban on cluster munitions, and how they still remain committed to take responsibility for the implementation of the Convention. The long version of the film (25 minutes) is available here.
All members of the Ban Advocates team had to overcome their injuries and trauma before they could really engage in the work they are doing. As Lynn Bradach, an American mother and a member of the Ban Advocates, says: “Membership is painful, because to be a member you must suffer true loss: loss of a limb, your sight or a loved one. In my case it was the loss of my son Marine Cpl Travis Bradach-Nall who was killed while clearing US cluster munitions in Karbala, Iraq”. She adds, “Membership also brings strength, because in order to be a member you agree that it is important to go beyond your pain and to strive to make a difference by using your voice and your experience to demand that countries stop using this inhumane weapon.”
About Ban Advocates
Ban Advocates are a group of women and men from diverse cluster munitions affected communities, supported by Handicap International.
| "We know well what a 'cluster munition' means in reality, why their use must be prohibited and stockpiles destroyed and how the victims should best be helped. We know all that because, together with other victims of cluster munitions, we have experienced the violence, exclusion and poverty caused by those indiscriminate weapons." - Ban Advocates |
The group advocates for a ban on cluster munitions and the full application of the rights of survivors and affected communities. They have taken a central role in the negotiations of the Convention on Cluster Munitions through what is known as the "Oslo Process." Part of their mission has been to ensure that the Convention will concretely improve the lives of people whose suffering has been caused by cluster munitions.
