Latest events in the Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence: 18 June

Please visit www.iansa.org/woa to see photos, posters and more information about the Week’s events

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UNITED NATIONS
* Chair of next small arms BMS announced
* ODA, UNIDIR, UNDP, UNICEF, Regional Centres and DPI activity

AFRICA
* Burkina Faso: The Government supports the ATT
* Burundi: Powerful testimony from survivors
* Cameroon: press conference on ATT and development
* DRC: Orphans organiser urges authority to recognise danger to children
* DRC: Schoolchildren demand a life free from guns
* Guinea-Bissau: Lobbying, radio debate and sports
* Kenya: Religious leaders acknowledge gun trouble
* Morocco: Amnesty boss urges ATT support
* Nigeria: Women and guns discussed with Government
* Nigeria: Radio series supports peace through health
* Senegal: Call for changes to gun law
* Togo: Colonel speaks out on guns
* Zambia: Bus trips raise awareness

ASIA
*Indonesia: ATT campaign rolls out in Jakarta
*Tajikistan: Weapon destruction programme completed

EUROPE
* Macedonia: Workshop with survivors
* Serbia: DDV campaign launched
* UK: Trafalgar Square vigil launches for DDV
* UK: Film screening at School of Public Health

AMERICAS
* Argentina: Parliament backs DDV campaign
* Brazil: YouTube campaign launched
* El Salvador: Big splash for DDV and ATT campaigns
* Jamaica: Anti-guns advert, peace walk
* Mexico: Men in uniform should not bring their guns home

UNITED NATIONS

* The Chair of the 2010 Biennial Meeting of states will be the Mexican diplomat Pablo Macedo Riba, who is currently Director of UN Affairs for the Ministry of Foreign Relations. The announcement was made at the Regional Conference on the ATT organised by UNIDIR in Mexico City this week. Ambassador Macedo said he plans to involve civil society fully in the BMS.

UN participation in the Global Week of Action began with a statement from the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Amb Sergio Duarte. He hoped the Week of Action would energise governments and civil society for the fight against misuse and proliferation of small arms. UNIDIR (the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research) issued a statement stressing on the indiscriminate and unnecessary suffering caused by small arms and praising the efforts of WoA participants especially in working towards the eradication of domestic violence and increased regulation of arms transfers. Read the statements on the Week of Action page www.iansa.org/woa

The UN Regional Centres for Peace and Disarmament in Africa and Asia have both participated in the Week of Action. The Asia centre in Kathmandu hosted a regional conference on brokering and the Africa centre in Togo held a press conference and film screening with local NGOs. UNDP, UNICEF and DPI encouraged their country offices to participate in collaboration with local civil society. Several countries including Belize, India, Jamaica, Kosovo, Burundi, Mexico, Honduras, Serbia and Mozambique had activities.

AFRICA

* Burkina Faso
A delegation from Amnesty International (Burkina Faso) met Eric Tiare, General Director for Legal and Consular Affairs, on 15 June. He confirmed that Burkina Faso will support the ATT in the United Nations Open-ended Working Group in July.

* Burundi
The development organisation Dagropass heard the testimonies of 11 women victims of gun violence on 16 June. Among them was 22-year-old Nibogora Beatrice, who lost a leg in a landmine explosion. She also lost her father to a gunshot. She deplored the circulation of small arms in Burundi.

* Cameroon
At the CAMYOSFOP press conference in Yaounde, the question and answer session raised the links between youth unemployment, development and the illicit proliferation and misuse of small arms. It also stressed how an effective Arms Trade Treaty would regulate the arms sector and significantly contribute to peace, security and development.

* DRC
AVREO (L’Association des volontaires pour la récupération des enfant abandonnés et Orphelins des méfaits des armes), an organisation working with orphans and abandoned children, organised a public meeting on 17 June in Uvira. Coordinator Janvier Kabwe urged the authorities to recognise that sexual violence continues in Uvira and other territories of South Kivu province due to the circulation of small arms.

* The Asvoco Association of volunteers in Congo celebrated the International Day of the African Child on 16 June by aligning themselves with the Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence. Aline Bweto, an 8-year-old boy from Tshipuka primary school in Goma, spoke for the children. He said: “We do not want guns; we want to go to school. Those who recruit children into armed groups should be tried.”

* Guinea-Bissau
A full week of events in Guinea-Bissau began with a meeting of WAANSA members on 15 June, followed by a press conference and a radio debate. On 18 June, members lobbied the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Communities. A full programme of sporting and cultural activities runs over the weekend.

* Kenya
The African Council of Religious Leaders meeting heard this week how easy availability and low cost has made small arms the weapons of choice in world conflicts. IANSA Africa Coordinator Joseph Dube addressed the meeting on the ATT process, the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development and the Disarm Domestic Violence campaign. http://www.disciplesworld.com/newsArticle.html?wsnID=15427

* Morocco
Salah Abdellaoui, the director of Amnesty International Morocco, has urged his country’s government to play an active role in supporting the Arms Trade Treaty. In a letter to the Foreign Affairs ministry, he said it was vital that Morocco take action to convince other North African countries and members of the Arab League to get involved in the ATT process.

* Nigeria
Mimidoo Achakpa of Women’s Rights to Education Programme and the IANSA Women’s Network Nigeria met the Commissioner for Women’s Affairs in Benue State on 16 June, to discuss how guns affect women in the state and the central region of Nigeria. On 18 June, Ms Achakpa discussed Nigeria’s involvement in the ATT process with officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

* Raypower, a series on peace and violence prevention was launched last week on Rhythm FM radio in the city of Jos. The programme which began on 12 June was designed to support IPPNW’s global Aiming For Prevention campaign. The first show was based on the concept of “peace through health.” Further programmes are planned on gun violence and other topics. The show is a project of the Society of Nigerian Doctors for the Welfare of Mankind (IPPNW Nigeria). To see a photo go to: http://tinyurl.com/no4lnb

*Senegal
At a public event by Malao and WAANSA-Senegal in Dakar on 16 June, Malao Director Honoré Georges Ndiaye urged the Senegalese government to amend the law to include spouses in the investigation process for gun permit applications. This is one of the demands in IANSA’s Disarm Domestic Violence campaign. Press: http://www.aps.sn/rechsimple.php

* Togo
Colonel Assiah Toye, chairman of the National Commission against small arms tried to reassure the public during an interview with Channel FM Radio on 15 June. “The Commission must act to collect arms that are circulating in the community, and ensure that the population is not intimidated,” he said.

* Zambia
The Action Network Advisory on Small Arms (ANASA) organised a fleet of buses from the capital Lusaka to the far-off regions of Mongu, Mkushi, Kitwe, and Mansa on 16 and 18 June. At each destination, they targeted suburbs and small towns with street activities. They distributed materials, badges and stickers to promote awareness of the human cost of gun violence.

On 18 June, ANASA’s Charles Mulenga appeared on the Christian Voice radio programme to address the dangers of the illegal transportation of guns. He emphasised the importance of reducing local gun violence, and said it was critical for the nation’s leaders to support the Arms Trade Treaty and for people to lobby the government to provide better information on the dangers of gun possession. He also called on the authorities of the mining and industrial region of Kitwe to put a stop to the recent spurt in armed robberies.

ASIA

* Indonesia
Civil rights group LaPASIP held street campaigns in central Jakarta and distributed information on the work of IANSA and the campaign for a strong ATT. The campaign was well-supported by local people, and the police. This is the first time a group in Indonesia has joined the Week of Action. Future plans include a concert at TMII, a tourist attraction in Jakarta. Photo and press coverage: www.iansa.org/campaigns_events/WoA2009/Asia.htm#indon

* Tajikistan
International experts visited Tajikistan from 15-19 June to assess the results of the recently-completed programme to eliminate the risks from surplus and insecurely-stored small arms and ammunition. Phase I of the programme (August 2005 to June 2006) addressed SALW and ammunition in the Dushanbe area. The second and final phase addressed similar risks in the country's regions, including on the Tajik-Afghan border. Phase II engaged over thirty national ministries and agencies. The programme, successfully completed in summer 2009, reduces human and environmental risks in the country, and paves the way to other OSCE programmes aimed at fighting organised crime and terrorism.
http://www.asiaplus.tj/en/news/47/53095.html

AMERICAS

* Argentina
Parliamentarian Luciano Fabris raised awareness about the Week of Action and the Disarm Domestic Violence campaign by introducing a bill, and promoting it on the Congress website. On 16 June, Maria Pia Devoto, Maria Paula Cellone, Althea Middleton-Detzner of Asociación para Politicas Públicas met with the Fundación para Estudio e Investigación de la Mujer (FEIM) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the DDV campaign. Andrea Mariño, Sociologist and Project Coordinator at FEIM joined the discussion, along with advisers from the Women’s Council at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As a result, the Ministry now fully supports the campaign and has agreed to promote future activities. The Foreign Affairs Adviser invited APP to present the campaign to the Gender Sub-commission within the NGO Commission of the Ministry. Press: http://www.chacas.com.ar/noticia.php?nota=14683

* Brazil
Sou da Paz launched a viral video campaign calling on people to post their own homemade videos about armed violence. So far they have had attracted almost 1000 views. During a candlelit event on Saturday 20 June, they will also be filming people’s testimonies. See the videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/soudapazinstituto

* El Salvador
CEMUJER launched the Disarm Domestic Violence campaign at the Monument to the Constitution in San Salvador on 14 June. They displayed posters and distributed flyers with statistics about gun homicides and illegal firearms in the country. Reporters from Radio YSUCA, the newspapers Co Latino and El Mundo, and five TV channels attended the event. CEMUJER members also gave interviews urging the government to support a strong ATT. A second event was held on 15 June at the University of El Salvador. Activists shared their views about gun violence and wrote peace messages. During the week CEMUJER has actively supported the DDV campaign, writing letters to Parliament, the Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs, the police and the public prosecutor urging them to make a public statement rejecting violence against women and children, and to work towards strengthening the laws that protect them. The Parliamentary Commissions on Public Security and Narcotics and the Commission on Family, Women and Childhood are now discussing CEMUJER’s proposals. Press: http://www.diariocolatino.com/es/20090615/nacionales/67936/

* Jamaica
The “Guns Off The Street” project was discussed at a meeting between UNDP Jamaica, the UN Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery in New York, and the Kingston and St Andrew Action Forum. The meeting was shown a 40-second advertisement which is being launched as part of the Global Week of Action. Media activities included an interview on Hot 102 radio station’s Today programme. Host Beverly Manley talked to KSAAF President Godfrey Lothian, Jonathan Burke (Program Manager UNDP Jamaica), Paul Moreira (Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery New York), and a representative from the Women’s Outreach Resource Centre. In the evening of 16 June, IANSA and KSAAF flyers and badges were distributed in Torrington Park, the scene of a four-year war which ended in 2007.

* Mexico
In San Cristobal de las Casas, Guadalajara and Mexico City campaigners have contacted radio stations and newspapers to tell them about the Disarm Domestic Violence campaign. On June 17, in San Cristobal de las Casas the group COLEM spoke about the campaign in their radio programme Aquelarre on Frecuencia Libre 99.1 COLEM also presented the campaign to local women’s groups, some of whom have agreed to collect data on domestic violence in the Chiapas region. Martha Figueroa from COLEM said: “This campaign will help us put pressure on the government so men who belong to the police, the army and private security companies will not be able to carry guns when they are not on duty. Then they will not be able to bring their guns home”.

EUROPE

* Macedonia
Journalists for Children and Women’s Rights and Protection of Environment (JCWE) held a workshop called 'How to recognise violence and an abuser'. Over 25 women from three shelters in Skopje participated.

* Serbia
The Victimology Society of Serbia launched the Disarm Domestic Violence campaign on 18 June at the Belgrade Media Centre. Speakers included: Dr Mirjana Dokmanovic, an international lawyer, journalist, researcher and lecturer on human rights and women’s rights; President of the Women’s Centre for Democracy and Human Rights in Serbia & Montenegro; Professor Dr Zelko Nikac, a police officer and professor, and Professor Dr Vesna Nikolic Ristanovic, and Jasmina Nikolic both from the Victimology Society of Serbia. More than 30 people attended from organisations including CPD, the Centre for Children's Rights; UNDP; the Office of the Municipal Public Prosecutors of Belgrade; SOS TELEFON hotline for children and women; UDMIZEM TOGOMHA, Organization of War Prisoners; ACMEP, the Faculty for Special Education and Rehabilitation; AZC, women's centre; FPN, Faculty for Political Sciences; and the NUNS, the Trade Union of Journalists. The press conference attracted widescale media interest from agencies and broadcasters including Fonet, Fox TV, RTRS, Radio Belgrade 202, RTS national TV, RTV Pink, B-Pro-Solutions, NIN weekly newspaper, Beta press agency and Radio Srosoduss Europa. Both Fox TV and Radio Belgrade 202 reported the conference. Watch Jasmina Nikolic on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YljGBTvd5uM

*UK
Women in Black (London) and the IANSA Women’s Network held a vigil near Trafalgar Square on 17 June to highlight gun deaths amongst women in domestic violence in the UK. Although British law now bans the sale of handguns, legally-held long-arms (rifles, shotguns, airguns) are used in violence in the home. In England and Wales, one in three women killed by their husbands is shot with a legally-owned weapon – 64% of these murders involve shotguns. (Criminal Statistics England and Wales, 2000) Since 2004, nearly three quarters of the 39 female gun homicide victims in Britain were killed in domestic incidents.

Passersby signed letters to Prime Minister Gordon Brown urging the British government to: systematically and centrally collect information on gun deaths in domestic violence; recognise that family killings are the only category of homicide where women outnumber men as victims; and harmonise the national gun law with the laws on domestic violence. See a photo at: www.iansa.org/campaigns_events/WoA2009/Europe.htm#WiB

* Dr Andrew Pinto of IPPNW’s Canadian affiliate Physicians for Global Survival joined with colleagues to organise several activities at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on 17 June, including a call for disinvestment of the school endowment fund from the arms industry. A screening of the film “Lord of War” was introduced by Bruce Millar of the IANSA Secretariat. The activities were designed to engage students and educate them about public health approaches to violence prevention: Dr. Pinto has published numerous papers on this topic.

Please tell us about the events in your countries as soon as possible so we can broadcast them to the network!