Designed to saturate a combat zone, submunition bombs are attack weapons that are scattered over a surface of several hectares. Since submunition bombs are imprecise, they inevitably fall on civil areas during bombardments.

In addition, 5 to 40% of submunition bombs do not explode on impact and in fact become antipersonnel mines.

They pollute the bombarded territories and menace the population after the end of conflict.

Since 1965, the official count is 13,306 victims of submunition bombs. The real total of victims is most certainly higher because in most of the territories that recorded victims in 2006, collection of data is inadequate or inexistent.

Children represent 27% of the victims of non-exploded submunition bombs. Attracted by their bright colors, children sometimes mistake them for food rations or toys.