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Shattered Lives: A Case for Tough International Arms Control

Author: Amnesty International and Oxfam
Date: 2003
Size: 95 pages (3.2 MB)

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Summary

The uncontrolled proliferation and misuse of arms by government forces and armed groups takes a massive human toll in lost lives, lost livelihoods and lost opportunities to escape poverty. What action is required at international, national and local level to control arms proliferation? In this report, Amnesty International and Oxfam argue that governments can and must do more to control arms proliferation effectively. Better co-ordination between governments is needed to address both the trade in arms and safety at community level.

Every government in the world has a responsibility to control arms, both within their borders and those they export. The world’s most powerful governments – who are also the world’s biggest arms suppliers – have the greatest responsibility. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council (France, Russia, China, UK and USA) together account for 88 per cent of the world’s conventional arms exports; these exports contribute regularly to gross abuses of human rights.

Since the attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon in 2001, some suppliers have relaxed arms controls in order to arm new-found allies against ‘terrorism’, irrespective of their disregard for human rights and humanitarian law. Despite the damage caused by arms, there is still no binding, comprehensive, international law to control their export. Still, the 1997 Landmines Treaty saw the end of open trading in landmines and the same combination of public pressure and sympathetic governments’ action could secure an Arms Trade Treaty.

Civil society and governments need to work proactively and effectively together to address the problems of arms at international, regional, national and local level to stem the source of supply and address the root causes of why people possess arms in insecure environments.

• Governments must agree on the Arms Trade Treaty, preventing arms being exported to destinations where they are likely to be used to commit grave violations of human rights and humanitarian law.
• Governments must develop and strengthen regional arms-control agreements, to uphold international human rights and humanitarian law.
• Governments must improve state capacity and their own accountability to control arms transfers and protect citizens from armed violence.
• Civil society and local government agencies are urged to take effective action to improve safety at community level, by reducing the local availability and demand for arms.

Governments are acting too slowly to control arms. They must take urgent action in the following areas:

• International level: adopt the Arms Trade Treaty by the 2006 UN review conference on small arms (through government lobbying in international and regional forums); create new international instruments to prevent irresponsible arms brokering, transporting, financing and foreign licensed production; provide more funding for practical assistance for arms-affected countries.
• Regional level: create/strengthen arms control, building on and inspiring work at the national level. These controls should address the flow of arms, and reduce widespread availability.
• National level: ensure responsible use of arms by national security forces, abiding by international standards; take swift disarmament/demobilisation action when conflict has ended; establish independent justice mechanisms to deal with human rights abuse; create/enforce legislation to control import, export, transit, production, sale and use of arms; improve public information about arms production, possession and transfer; work with civil society to develop strict arms controls.
• Local level, in collaboration with civil society: rebuild confidence in the possibility of non-armed security (in part by reducing the quantity of arms in circulation); provide assistance to victims of armed violence; develop sustainable livelihoods as an alternative for those who depend on armed violence for their living.

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Source: Hillier, D., and Wood, B., 2003, ‘Shattered Lives: A Case for Tough International Arms Control’, Amnesty International and Oxfam, London
Author: Amnesty International, http://www.amnesty.org.uk