In Pictures: De-mining Cambodia

[Aurovon]

Seng Somala talks about her work as supervisor of one of the de-mining teams in Cambodia, which after 20 years of war is among the world's most heavily mined countries. Seng Somala's team is Cambodia's only all-female de-mining team.

My day starts at six o'clock in the morning with a stop-off at the market. The 15 members of my team sit down for breakfast and I buy supplies for lunch. It's always a bit of a rush because it's important to start work as early as possible, before it gets too hot.


Every time I go into the minefield in the village of Svay Sor I have to put on a special helmet and flak jacket. Eight people have been killed and another nine injured just in the small area where we're working – that's why we're here.

The villagers can't be sure their land is completely safe until we've checked every metre.


Each of the metal detectors used by the women in my team is checked regularly. They need to be finely calibrated if they're to find every single unexploded mine or bomb. We work to strict operating procedures – although the job isn't without danger, if the de-miners follow the rules they should be safe.


As well as clearing minefields, we educate the villagers living in the surrounding areas about the dangers of landmines and unexploded bombs. We explain how to minimise the risks.

Here in Cambodia, landmines are everywhere. Less than a fortnight ago three people travelling through a field in an ox cart rode over an anti-tank mine. They were all killed instantly. It's that kind of accident we're trying to avoid.


This woman is pointing at a bomb similar to the one she found in a well in her field. Her nephew removed it, but by doing so he could easily have set it off. Many people living in Svay Sor know the land they live and work on is heavily mined, but they have no choice but to work the fields. It's the only land they have.


It's important that the de-miners maintain the highest standards and clear every single scrap of metal. To ensure they are, I regularly double-check their work. It's vital the land cleared is 100% safe - if even a tiny mistake is made, the results could be fatal.


I plot the day's progress on a large map. The green shaded areas represent the parts of the minefield that have been cleared. The areas in white still have to be tackled. We've only been working in the Svay Sor minefield for two weeks so there's still a lot of ground to cover. We expect to be here for a while yet - we'll stay until the job is done.


At the end of the day I give the team a full debriefing. It's a chance for me to tell them how I think the work is going and for the women to discuss any concerns they have.

They are paid very well by Cambodian standards - they earn 10 times in national average. The money they receive doesn't just benefit them. Often it helps support a large extended family as well.


There's a definite camaraderie within the team because we're all women. The only man in the group is our driver. He used to be sceptical about women de-miners - he thought clearing minefields was a man's job.

Slowly, though, he's come round. Now he tells everyone that women can clear mines as well as anyone. He's a real convert.

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