The 19-year-old Afghan man, from the Afghan Landmine Survivor Organisation, lost both his legs at the age of 10 to a cluster bomb explosion at the start of the war in Afghanistan. The explosion also killed his cousin and injured four other members of his family. Habib is now an active campaigner against cluster bombs and runs psychosocial peer-to-peer support for other landmine and cluster bomb victims in Afghanistan.

Cluster munitions are bombs with an outer casing that breaks open in mid-air, scattering smaller “bomblets” over a wide area, with a radius of up to a kilometre. Many of these bomblets fail to explode on impact, remaining as a hazard, especially to children, for decades after the conflict ends. A 2006 Handicap International study found that 98 per cent of victims of unexploded cluster bomblets are civilians.

The Cluster Munition Coalition – Australia, which is supporting Habib’s visit to Australia, has serious concerns that the Criminal Code Amendment (Cluster Munitions Prohibition) Bill 2010, currently before the Australian Senate, contains significant loopholes which weaken Australia’s stance on cluster munitions. This could pave the way for Australian troops to continue providing active support to allies like the USA in their use of cluster bombs.

John Rodsted, co-founder of the Cluster Munition Coalition, said, “The Australian legislation reflects neither the spirit nor intention of the treaty. It makes no difference to the status quo and possibly makes things worse. The Australian military will still be able to identify targets for cluster bomb attack and load and aim the gun, provided they don’t actually pull the trigger. This weak piece of legislation does nothing to further the international ban on cluster bombs despite the spin the Government is trying to put on it.”

While in Sydney, Soraj will participate in a training session of Sydney wheelchair basketball team the Wheelkings on Tuesday 3 May. On Wednesday 4 May, he will speak at a seminar on the implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. He will be joined by several guest speakers: Professor Ron McCallum AO, John Rodsted, co-founder, Cluster Munition Coalition, and Alistair Gee, Executive Director, Act for Peace

Media are invited to attend both events.

For further information or to arrange media interviews, please contact Emma Halgren: 0458 303 515; (02) 8259 0828; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Michelle Fahy, 0415 848 641, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Cluster Munition Coalition – Australia.

Available for media interviews:

• Soraj Ghulam Habib, Afghan Landmine Survivor Organisation
• Professor Ron McCallum AO, Chair of the Committee on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Geneva and 2011 Senior Australian of the Year
• John Rodsted, founding member, Cluster Munition Coalition
• Alistair Gee, Executive Director, Act for Peace, the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia

Event information:

Training session of Sydney Wheelkings

Tuesday 3 May, 7:00 to 9.00pm

St Josephs College, Mark St, Hunters Hill

Interviews and photos from 6pm. Training session starts promptly at 7pm.

Seminar: Collateral Damage: Human rights and the implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions
Wednesday 4 May, 10:30am to 12:30pm

Room 230, Ground Level Building 10, University of Technology Sydney, 235 Jones Street, Broadway

About the Cluster Munition Coalition: The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) is a global campaign in over 90 countries with more than 350 member organisations. The CMC played the key role in the creation of the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, and now works for its universalisation and implementation. The CMC works through its members to both influence the policy and practice of governments in regard to the achievement of these aims and to raise public awareness of the global cluster munitions problem. www.cmcAustralia.org | www.stopclustermunitions.org

About Act for Peace: Act for Peace is the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia and a member of the global ACT Alliance. We empower war-torn communities to reduce poverty, protect refugees, and prevent further conflict. Our project partners are currently assisting more than one million people in the world's worst conflict affected areas, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Zimbabwe and Burma. www.actforpeace.org.au