Geneva - Human rights groups launched Friday a "week of action" to try to convince governments to sign and ratify the international treaty which bans the use, production and stockpiling of cluster munitions.

The campaign was being launched one year after countries concluded negotiations on the treaty in Ireland. In December, the treaty was opened for signatures. Since then,
96 governments signed and seven have ratified the treaty.

Cluster bombs eject sub-munitions over a wide area, making them a deadly and generally imprecise weapon. Many fail to explode and effectively turn into landmines scattered across civilian populated areas.

"Cluster bombs have killed and injured far too many civilians at the time of attack," said Steve Goose, of Human Rights Watch's arms control division.

"Even worse, they go on killing days, weeks, months and even decades later," he added, explaining that after they fail to explode they can remain in the ground or in lakes where people fish for years.

The coalition said many countries were taking actions in the last year to destroy their stockpiles, though some of the world's biggest users and stockpiles have not yet signed up to the convention. These include the United States, Russia, China and Israel.

Goose said the progress made in recent years in ending the use of cluster bombs was a "remarkable story of sea change in the international perspective on the weapon." (dpa)