25 July 2000 U.S. Treats Young Nicaraguan Landmine Survivor; Incident Highlights Dangers Posed by "Hidden Killers" The State Department has announced that a 12-year-old Nicaraguan boy named Julio Tinoco Perez flew to the United States with his mother July 25 to be treated for landmine injuries he suffered while playing outside his home in Juigalpa, Nicaragua. A group of humanitarian organizations arranged for travel and medical treatment for Julio, who suffered severe injuries to both eyes and lost his left arm below the elbow when he mistakenly picked up a landmine, believing it was a toy. "Julio's plight highlights the fact that while Nicaragua, the most mine-affected country in Central America, has made great progress in demining through its own efforts and with the assistance of the U.S., Canada, the Organization of American States, neighboring countries, and other countries in Latin America and Western Europe, significant numbers of these 'hidden killers' remain," the State Department added in a July 25 news release. Following is the text: U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman July 25, 2000 Media Note Today the United States flew a 12-year-old Nicaraguan boy, accompanied by his mother, to New York City for expert examination and treatment of landmine injuries inflicted while playing outside his home in Juigalpa, Nicaragua. Julio Tinoco Perez suffered severe injuries to both eyes and lost his left arm below the elbow when he mistakenly picked up what he believed to be a toy and it exploded in his face. The "toy" was a landmine left over from the conflict that raged in Nicaragua from 1978 to 1990. Julio's plight was brought to the attention of the U.S. Government by the Government of Nicaragua, which has been a recipient of U.S. humanitarian demining assistance since 1993. U.S. mine action assistance to Nicaragua and other mine-afflicted Central American nations is provided through the Organization of American States. Since 1993, the United States has provided $12.8 million to fund a variety of mine action initiatives in Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. U.S. support has been provided by the Department of Defense, USAID, and, more recently, the Department of State. The Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI), a Virginia-based, non-governmental, humanitarian organization that assists mine-contaminated countries in promoting mine awareness, landmine injury education, victim's assistance and mine-detection dog programs, is coordinating this effort with a grant from the State Department's Office of Humanitarian Demining Programs (HDP). MLI is facilitating the Perez family's transportation, medical treatment and accommodations in the United States. Frank Brady of Medical Missions for Children, also a non-governmental organization (NGO) has arranged surgical and medical retina specialists to evaluate Julio's condition at the Gramercy Park Eye Institute in New York on Wednesday morning, July 26, 2000. If further eye surgery will help restore Julio's vision, MLI will coordinate with Medical Missions for Children and Mr. Walter Kaye (NY civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army) to arrange treatment at a world class medical facility such as the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. Ralph Cwerman, President of the The Humpty Dumpty Institute, an NGO that enlists major corporations in mine action and generates mine awareness in the private sector, will arrange to have Julio fitted with a prosthetic limb through Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. Julio's plight highlights the fact that while Nicaragua, the most mine-affected country in Central America, has made great progress in demining through its own efforts and with the assistance of the U.S., Canada, the Organization of American States, neighboring countries, and other countries in Latin America and Western Europe, significant numbers of these "hidden killers" remain. The Centro de Estudios Internacionales calculates that one out of every seven Nicaraguans is affected by the presence or suspected presence of landmines. The devastation of Hurricane Mitch last year also has hampered mine clearance efforts and displaced some landmines to areas not previously mined. U.S. humanitarian demining funding to Nicaragua has helped to clear landmines from around powerlines, bridges, electric substations, roads, and other key infrastructure. The U.S. has also promoted mine awareness among the population, using such tools as a special DC Comics Superman-Wonder Woman comic book in coordination with UNICEF, helped purchase safety equipment, mine detector and communications gear to equip Nicaraguan deminers, and trained over 150 Nicaraguan deminers, some of whom have in turn trained five additional platoons of deminers. Although the United States formally established the Office of Humanitarian Demining Programs in 1998, since 1993, the United States has spent more than $400 million in all aspects of humanitarian demining activity, including a substantial amount on research and development for mine detection and mine clearance. Currently, HDP manages U.S. humanitarian demining assistance to 35 countries as well as Kosovo and Northern Somalia. (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov) Return to the Washington File