“Until we hide cluster bombs in the grass and sand around every Lithuanian child, we Lithuanians cannot feel safe,” the Lithuanian government and media say.

Why do they do this? Because it is easy to gather votes and viewers for advertising, shouting about war and our own tools of killing, such as cluster bombs, which are banned worldwide. And what to do with those unfortunate Lithuanian children? You gave birth to them yourself, take them out of here yourself. We don’t need children.

 

Why are cluster munitions banned in most countries around the world?

 

Cluster munitions are banned in most countries around the world (over 120 countries) for two main humanitarian reasons:

 

Indiscriminate impact (widespread damage): These weapons simultaneously release dozens or hundreds of smaller secondary munitions (“bombs”) over a large area. This dispersion pattern makes them unable to accurately distinguish military targets from civilians, especially when used near populated areas.

 

Prolonged risk (unexploded remnants): A significant proportion of secondary munitions (from 2% to 40% or more) do not explode immediately. They remain in the ground as de facto landmines and can kill or maim people decades after the end of a conflict.

 

Key facts based on 2025 data:

 

Civilians as the main victims: As of 2024, all recorded cluster munition victims were civilians.

 

Vulnerability of children: Children make up a large proportion of victims (approximately 42-71%) because they are often attracted to small, unusual shapes or colours of unexploded ordnance that resemble toys.

 

Legal framework: The ban is set out in the Convention on Cluster Munitions (adopted in 2008), which prohibits the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions. As of February 2025, 124 states had joined it.