An Investigation of the Unintended Social Consequences of Anti-Personnel Landmines in Kurdistan

The study of human actions and their unintended consequences have been one of the fundamental concepts in social sciences research. The importance of studying the unintended consequences of an action is not solely due to the positive or negative consequences of the intentions of the actors of action, but the production of other sequential results that go beyond the predictive value of the actors. The use of land mines in the war is a result of targeted action among hostile forces, which results in unpredictable personal and social consequences that are widespread and unpredictable. The problems caused by negative consequences of this phenomenon are caused by various social institutions and costing enormous costs to the community. The purpose of this study was to investigate the unintended social consequences of landmines in the province of Kurdistan as one of the most polluted provinces of the country. The theoretical foundations of this research are rooted in the studies of Merton and Giddens. This is a mixed methods stud and the population of the study consisted of all civilians who have been exposed to some kind of mine injury in Kurdistan. Part of the data has been obtained through the documentation of the Janbazan Foundation, the Red Crescent and other resources, and part has been gathered through interviewing the individuals exposed to landmines. The results of the research showed that the use of anti-personnel landmines and their unintended consequences, not only take many lives but are also a source of migration, divorce and insecurity, and have caused serious damage to the environment, agriculture and tourism. All the damage caused by this phenomenon is still unknown and is expanding in terms of time, place and scopes. The results of the use of landmines and a serious response to this need require extensive and continuous cooperation between the civilians, the Government and international institutions to prevent the production, storage and use of anti-personnel landmines.