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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 11:51 am
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Results for armed violence
34 results foundAuthor: Pezard, Stephanie Title: Insecurity is Also a War: An Assessment of Armed Violence in Burundi Summary: The various forms of armed violence encountered in Burundi are not uncommon in post-conflict countries that have not yet completed the transition to peace. In Burundi, the most frequently observed type of armed violence is linked to banditry. Of those interviewed for this report, 88.4 percent cited armed robbery and burglary as the most common acts of armed violence in their neighborhood. Details: Geneva: Geneva Declaration Secretariat, 2009. 184p. Source: Year: 2009 Country: Burundi URL: Shelf Number: 118292 Keywords: Armed RobberyArmed ViolenceRobbery (Burundi)Violent Crime (Burundi) |
Author: Dreyfus, Pablo Title: Small Arms in Rio de Janeiro: The Guns, the Buyback, and the Victims Summary: This report presents three separate studies regarding a gun buyback program in Rio de Janeiro: Do voluntary small arms collections reduce violence? Do they work in isolation, or do they have to be combined with other control measures? The first study attempts to answer these questions by analysing the impact in the state of Rio de Janeiro of a national small arms buyback campaign that took place from July 2004 to October 2005. The study concludes that in Rio de Janeiro, small arms voluntary collection campaigns do indeed reduce armed violence, as long as they are not implemented in isolation; they must be combined with other preventative measures. The second study analyses the volume, price and symbolic value of small arms in the criminal market in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, the study finds that 928,621 small arms circulate in the so-called Marvellous City, of which 159,723 are used in crime. The third study looks at demand for small arms in Rio de Janeiro and asks whether the characteristics of the city are unique, in particular in its impoverished peripheral areas where armed violence is most acute. Details: Geneva, Switzerland: Small Arms Survey, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, 2008. 147p. Source: Internet Resource; Special Report by Small Arms Survey, Viva Rio, and ISER Year: 2008 Country: Brazil URL: Shelf Number: 114582 Keywords: Armed ViolenceGun Buyback ProgramsGun ViolenceGunsIllicit MarketsWeapons |
Author: Zavala, Diego E. Title: Understanding Violence: The Role of Injury Surveillance Systems in Africa Summary: "This working paper applies a public health approach to engaging with injury prevention and identifies several public health methods for collecting data pertinent to violence control. The paper documents findings from a multinational project undertaken in 2007-2009 in five African countries (the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia). This pilot project involved the creation of an injury surveillance system in five hospitals, one in each country. The analysis of the project offers valuable insight into what is required in order to successfully implement and sustain a hospital-based injury surveillance system under challenging circumstances. This paper is designed for a broad audience interested in armed violence prevention and reduction and it specifically speaks to African decision-makers, development practitioners, and medical professionals." Details: Geneva: Geneva Declaration Secretariat, 2009. 52p. Source: Internet Resource; Working Paper Year: 2009 Country: Africa URL: Shelf Number: 119394 Keywords: Armed ViolenceInjury Surveillance SystemsViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Walton, Oliver Title: Youth, Armed Violence and Job Creation Programmes: A Rapid Mapping Study Summary: In response to growing evidence from the social science literature about the links between youth unemployment and armed conflict, donors have increasingly used youth job creation programmes as a tool with which to address armed violence. Many donors now identify addressing youth unemployment as an urgent priority, both in the field of peacebuilding and in efforts to foster economic development. The link between job creation and peacebuilding has been affirmed by the UN Secretary General’s approval of the ‘UN Policy For Post-Conflict Employment Creation, Income Generation And Reintegration’ in 2008 and more recently by the ILO’s 2010 Guidelines on Local Economic Recovery in Post-Conflict. A new sub-target for the first Millennium Development Goal which focused on youth unemployment was agreed in 2007. Donor armed violence reduction (AVR) strategies have begun to deploy a range of multi-sectoral interventions, including job creation, although AVR integration into donor strategies ‘remains relatively rare’. This rapid mapping study reviews donor approaches to addressing armed violence through youth job creation programmes. It covers a range of programmes including reintegration programmes, early recovery and cash for work programmes; as well as integrated AVR programmes that involve youth job creation components. Section two assesses the theoretical and empirical case for using job creation as a means of reducing armed violence. Section three provides an overview of key donor strategies for addressing armed violence and conflict through youth employment generation. Section four assesses the impact of these interventions; section five identifies some gaps in the current literature. Section six highlights some specific examples of successful programmes and section seven draws out some lessons and best practice based on donor experience. The study finds that both the theoretical and the empirical cases for using youth employment programmes as a stand-alone tool for reducing violent conflict are extremely weak. Donor interventions have been poorly evaluated and evidence of success is usually limited to demonstrating increases in employment levels, with little effort made to assess the impact on conflict. The evidence on using job creation as part of an integrated or comprehensive armed conflict or AVR strategy is stronger: some government-led initiatives in countries that experience high levels of armed violence (such as Brazil and South Africa) have shown clear positive results in reducing levels of armed violence. The study finds that donor approaches to reduce armed violence through job creation schemes have become more nuanced and sophisticated. There has been a growing emphasis on ‘holistic’, ‘comprehensive’ and ‘integrated’ approaches that go beyond simply addressing a lack of economic opportunities and seek to address the more complex array of factors that cause social exclusion for young people. These initiatives combine and integrate job-creation schemes with a range of other forms of intervention, such as capacity-building and training in conflict resolution. In a similar way AVR strategies have moved beyond a narrow focus on controlling arms and reducing the demand for weapons, towards more comprehensive strategies that address a range of risk factors associated with armed violence. Donors have also sought to make job creation schemes more effective by conducting more rigorous contextual analysis. They have also looked to improve the effectiveness and relevance of these schemes by working more closely with the private sector and tackling the demand-side of youth unemployment. Despite this progress, there is a still a significant gap between donor rhetoric and practice in this area. Details: Oslo, Norway: Norwegian Peacebuilding Centre, 2010. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 8, 2011 at: http://www.gsdrc.org/docs/open/EIRS11.pdf Year: 2010 Country: International URL: http://www.gsdrc.org/docs/open/EIRS11.pdf Shelf Number: 120717 Keywords: Armed ViolenceEconomics and CrimeEmployment and CrimeUnemployment |
Author: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Title: Preventing and Reducing Armed Violence in Urban Areas: Programming Note Summary: Approximately 740 000 people die as a result of armed violence each year. Armed violence erodes governance and peace whilst slowing down achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG ’s). It can have as significant an effect on security and development in settings of chronic violent crime and inter-personal violence as it can in societies affected by war or civil conflict. An armed violence agenda therefore includes a wide range of countries, cities and citizens whose development and security are under threat. It refers to the use or threatened use of weapons to inflict injury, death or psychosocial harm. To help desk officers and conflict/fragility experts who are working to tackle the problem of armed violence, OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC ) members have requested three Armed Violence Reduction (AVR) Programming Notes to build on the OECD DAC policy paper on Armed Violence Reduction: Enabling Development (OECD , 2009). The three notes cover: • Armed violence in urban areas: The majority of the world’s population now lives in urban centres. As economic transformations accelerate rural-urban migration, the rural poor are being converted into an urban poor who populate mega-slums on the periphery of major urban centres. More and more of these areas are afflicted by high levels of armed violence. • Youth and armed violence: The largest-ever generation of young people is now entering adulthood. Almost half of the world’s population is under the age of 24 and the vast majority of 10-24 year olds live in less developed countries. Youth are particularly at risk of being exposed to and engaging in, armed violence and crime. • AVR and Security System Reform (SSR ): AVR and SSR have similar objectives and are mutually reinforcing. But they also have their distinct methods, entry points and comparative advantages. It is important to understand the linkages between the two approaches in order to maximise the impact of public safety and security interventions. To ensure an effective response to armed violence, the programming notes use an armed violence “lens”, which was developed in Armed Violence Reduction: Enabling Development. The lens helps practitioners consider the key elements shaping armed violence patterns. These include the people affected by armed violence, the perpetrators and their motivations, the availability of instruments (arms) and the wider institutional/cultural environment that enables and/or protects against armed violence. The lens highlights risk factors associated with armed violence and their vertical linkages from the local to the global level. It encourages practitioners to think outside specific sector mandates and provides practical entry points for AVR programming. Armed violence prevention and reduction are feasible but require significant leadership by affected states and investment of financial resources by donors. They also require the ability to engage with non-state and subnational actors. Finally, evidence suggests that effective interventions need a good evidence base, participatory assessments and the simultaneous engagement in multiple sectors (reflecting the broad range of interrelated issues and actors involved), at multiple levels (local, national, regional and global) and over a longer time horizon. Details: Paris: OECD Publishing, 2011. 61p. Source: Internet Resource: Conflict and Fragility Series: Accessed June 28, 2011 at: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/18/11/47942084.pdf Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/18/11/47942084.pdf Shelf Number: 121873 Keywords: Armed ViolenceUrban AreasViolent CrimeWeapons |
Author: Milleken, Jennifer: Gilgen, Elisabeth Title: Tackling Violence Against Women: From Knowledge to Practical Initiatives Summary: Although the number of women who are violently injured and killed each year worldwide is not known with any precision, available evidence, while unsystematic and incomplete, already indicates that violence against women (VAW) is ‘a universal problem of epidemic proportions’ (UNIFEM, 2007). VAW occurs in both conflict and non-conflict situations. It is often less evident in its occurrence and effects than the deaths and injuries of men as combatants in armed conflicts or as gang members in violence related to drug wars. Yet women and girls are often victimized or adversely affected in other ways in these and all other armed violence settings. Women and girls are also common targets of sexual violence in armed conflict and fragmented societies, and they suffer disproportionately from its indirect consequences. In non-conflict situations, women are the victims of intimate-partner (or ‘domestic’) and sexual violence, honour killings, and dowry-related violence (GD Secretariat, 2008b). The economic costs associated with armed violence are tremendous. It is estimated that the annual economic cost of armed violence in terms of lost productivity due to violent homicides is between USD 95 billion and USD 163 billion alone (GD Secretariat, 2008). Additional costs include medical costs associated with treating the injured or indirect costs such as loss of income from the victim’s inability to work. However, a focus on costs ignores the wider relationship among armed violence, livelihood perspectives, development, and the (indirect) impact on women and men. The gendered dynamic of these relationships is complex. As the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) states: When husbands are killed, women frequently lose their access to farmlands and the right to live in their marital homes. The resulting survival choice for many affected women and children is prostitution, commercial labour or domestic servitude. This has consequences for ongoing exposure to violence and ill health from communicable diseases and poor working conditions, as well as future community exclusion (OECD, 2009). The Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development (GD) is a diplomatic initiative built around the recognition that armed violence and development are closely linked. From its inception, the GD initiative has recognized the importance of the gendered aspect of armed violence. It promotes a comprehensive approach to armed violence reduction issues, recognizing the different situations, needs and resources of men and women, boys and girls, as reflected in the provisions of UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1612 (GD Secretariat, 2006). However, (armed) violence against women and its impact on development, while acknowledged since the inception of the GD, has so far been only partially addressed by the GD Secretariat. This Working Paper represents one of the actions by the GD Secretariat to support work on the elimination of (armed) VAW with a view to enhancing development. It is divided into two sections. The first section illustrates the context of the GD, (armed) VAW, and development. The second section sets out five possible initiatives to fill research gaps on VAW: 1. support international initiatives to track VAW globally; 2. promote field-based research on mapping VAW; 3. develop improved costing tools for estimating the effects of VAW on development; 4. extend the work on a contextual appraisal toolkit for implementing VAW interventions; and 5. support a comprehensive evaluation toolkit for VAW prevention and reduction programmes. The first three initiatives focus on filling gaps in mapping VAW; the last two present ways to support VAW reduction and prevention programming. The Working Paper concludes with the observation that further innovative research is needed to understand the scope and scale of VAW, such as its negative impact on development. Research initiatives need to acknowledge the complexity, and the sometimes - apparent paradox, of the phenomenon of VAW, as well as support the development and evaluation of programming efforts to prevent and reduce VAW. Details: Geneva: Geneva Declaration Secretariat, 2011. 49p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper: Accessed July 26, 2011 at: http://www.genevadeclaration.org/fileadmin/docs/WP-TVAW/GD-WP-Tackling-VAW.pdf Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.genevadeclaration.org/fileadmin/docs/WP-TVAW/GD-WP-Tackling-VAW.pdf Shelf Number: 122157 Keywords: Armed ViolenceSexual ViolenceViolence Against Women |
Author: United Nations. Office for Disarmament Affairs’ Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) Title: Preventing Firearms Proliferation and Armed Violence in Educational Centres of Latin America and the Caribbean Summary: Latin America and the Caribbean is considered to be one of the most violent regions in the world accounting for nearly 42% of annual global homicides. The impact of armed violence on youth is particularly dramatic. In the Caribbean, for example, violence is the leading cause of death among youth and adolescents aged 15-24. There are over 100 million adolescents between 10 and 18 years of age in the region; hardship affects these youth disproportionately with an average of 39% living in poverty. UNICEF has identified two forms of violence in Latin America and the Caribbean that warrant increased attention: gang-related violence linked to the drug trade; and violence in schools. The phenomenon of violence in schools has also gained increased attention in Latin America and the Caribbean in recent years. In Brazil, 84% of students in 143 schools in the capitals of six states consider their school to be violent and 70% admits to having been victims of violence at school. The threat and actual use of firearms in schools have received less specific attention, but now constitutes a substantial and growing challenge to the physical and psychological security of children and educators in Latin America and the Caribbean. Approximately 1.3% of students in Argentina has taken a revolver or pistol to school, according to the Ministry of Education of that country. In 2007, 69 firearms were confiscated by educational authorities in Colombian schools. In Brazil, a UNESCO survey conducted in 2000 reported that 13% of school students had witnessed the presence of firearms on campus. Furthermore, 14% claimed to have easy access to a firearm in their school and its surroundings, and 4% claimed to have brought one to school. In El Salvador, 42 weapons, including guns and grenades, were seized from schools and their immediate surroundings in 2005. In Mexico, 55% of students in Mexico City believes some of their fellow students bring firearms to school. 46 incidents of gun violence in schools and communities were reported in Puerto Rico during 2007. A 2003 representative sample survey of school children in nine Caribbean countries found that one fifth of the males carried weapons to school during the previous 30-day period. UNLIREC staff - undertaking a brief review of online newspaper archives - identified at least 51 reported instances of firearm possession and the death or wounding of 43 individuals from accidental or intentional shootings in Latin America and Caribbean educational centres between 2000 and 2010. Whilst these are only a few examples collected on an ad hoc basis, their sum is suggestive as to the unmeasured scale and severity of armed violence in Latin American and Caribbean schools. The true extent and nature of the problem is difficult to gauge as centralized reporting systems and data sets for these incidents do not exist. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the extent of unreported or undiscovered armed violence in schools may be significant. Details: Lima, Peru: United Nations, 2011. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper: Accessed September 7, 2011 at: http://www.unlirec.org/Documents/Armed_Violence_in_Schools.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Central America URL: http://www.unlirec.org/Documents/Armed_Violence_in_Schools.pdf Shelf Number: 122674 Keywords: Armed ViolenceFirearmsHomicidesSchool Violence (Latin America and the Caribbean)Violent CrimeWeapons |
Author: Gilgen, Elisabeth Title: Contributing Evidence to Programming: Armed Violence Monitoring Systems Summary: Governments, development practitioners, and United Nations agencies are increasingly looking for ways to ensure that resources for development programmes and humanitarian interventions are used effectively and to support interventions with a proven record of success. Such evidence-based policy-making has also gained popularity in relation to the prevention and reduction of armed violence. To support this trend, practitioners and other stakeholders are establishing new mechanisms and research tools, including armed violence monitoring systems (AVMS). In the past few decades, AVMS have become an important tool to better understand the scale and distribution of armed violence. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) currently supports AVMS in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Caribbean, Colombia, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Kenya, Somalia, South-eastern and Eastern Europe, and Sudan. UNDP has observed that national governments are increasingly requesting support for AVMS. This Working Paper — commissioned by the UNDP — aims to clarify the concept of AVMS and to deepen understanding of their work. It is designed to inform policy-makers and practitioners who are working on violence reduction and prevention and who are interested in supporting or establishing an AVMS. The report will also allow experts who are already engaged in AVMS to compare their experiences with those of others. Last but not least, the paper aims to inform researchers and academics who work on developing indicators that capture the scale and scope of armed violence at a local, national, or global level. Details: Geneva, Switzerland: Geneva Declaration, 2011. 74p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper: Accessed September 12, 2011 at: http://www.genevadeclaration.org/fileadmin/docs/general/GD-WP-2011-Contributing-Evidence-to-Programming.pdf Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.genevadeclaration.org/fileadmin/docs/general/GD-WP-2011-Contributing-Evidence-to-Programming.pdf Shelf Number: 122720 Keywords: Armed ViolenceFirearmsGun ViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Acharya, Arabinda Title: India’s States of Armed Violence Assessing the Human Cost and Political Priorities Summary: Some forms of violence get more attention than others. Terrorism and insurgency have effects which go far beyond the direct deaths and injuries that they cause, undermining security and economic development. But for sheer numbers of lives destroyed, criminal violence and suicide deserve more attention. All forms of armed violence require more attention, and more holistic policy. Institutional cooperation — between ministries, the central and state governments, and between government and civil society — is only beginning to occur. Details: New Delhi: India Armed Violence Assessment, 2011. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Issue Brief No. 1: Accessed September 21, 2011 at: http://www.india-ava.org/fileadmin/docs/pubs/IAVA-IB1-states-of-armed-violence.pdf Year: 2011 Country: India URL: http://www.india-ava.org/fileadmin/docs/pubs/IAVA-IB1-states-of-armed-violence.pdf Shelf Number: 122804 Keywords: Armed ViolenceGun ViolenceGunsHomicidesTerrorismViolence (India)Violent Crime |
Author: Geneva Declaration Title: Global Burden of Armed Violence 2011 Summary: Drawing on comprehensive country-level data, including both conflict-related and criminal violence, it estimates that at least 526,000 people die violently every year, more than three-quarters of them in non-conflict settings. It highlights that the 58 countries with high rates of lethal violence account for two-thirds of all violent deaths, and shows that one-quarter of all violent deaths occur in just 14 countries, seven of which are in the Americas. New research on femicide also reveals that about 66,000 women and girls are violently killed around the world each year. This volume also assesses the linkages between violent death rates and socio-economic development, demonstrating that homicide rates are higher wherever income disparity, extreme poverty, and hunger are high. It challenges the use of simple analytical classifications and policy responses, and offers researchers and policy-makers new tools for studying and tackling different forms of violence. Details: Geneva: Geneva Declaration, 2012. 175p. (Also available from Cambridge University Press) Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 1, 2012 at: http://www.genevadeclaration.org/measurability/global-burden-of-armed-violence/global-burden-of-armed-violence-2011.html Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://www.genevadeclaration.org/measurability/global-burden-of-armed-violence/global-burden-of-armed-violence-2011.html Shelf Number: 123918 Keywords: Armed ViolenceGun ViolenceHomicidesViolenceViolent Crimes |
Author: Eavis, Paul Title: Working Against Violence: Practices in Armed Violence Reduction and Prevention Summary: The aim of this working paper, Working Against Violence: Promising Practices in Armed Violence Reduction and Prevention, from the Geneva Declaration is to document promising practices in armed violence reduction and prevention (AVRP). Drawing from experiences across multiple sectors and organizations, it seeks to generate a better understanding of what is working and, in so doing, encourage more effective and efficient AVRP policies and programmes. The selection of promising practice examples contained in the working paper are drawn from a wide range of sources, including the findings of a series of regional ‘promising-/good-practice’ meetings that were held in Brazil, Guatemala, Kenya, Nigeria, Nepal, and Croatia throughout 2010 and 2011, as well as from academic evidence and international experience of AVRP. The paper first sets out a brief characterization of the different categories of AVRP interventions. The subsequent section provides an overview of promising practices, focusing on both direct and indirect AVRP programmes. The final section outlines a number of key recommendations for future AVRP programming. Details: Geneva: Geneva Declaration Secretariat, 2011. 70p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper: Accessed February 1, 2012 at: http://www.genevadeclaration.org/fileadmin/docs/WP-AVRP/GDWP_Working-against-violence.pdf Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.genevadeclaration.org/fileadmin/docs/WP-AVRP/GDWP_Working-against-violence.pdf Shelf Number: 123922 Keywords: Armed ViolenceHomicidesViolent Crimes |
Author: Cramer, Clayton E. Title: Tough Targets: When Criminals Face Armed Resistance from Citizens Summary: The ostensible purpose of gun control legislation is to reduce firearm deaths and injuries. The restriction of access to firearms will make criminals unable to use guns to shoot people. Gun control laws will also reduce the number of accidental shootings. Those are the desired effects, at least in theory. It is important, however, for conscientious policymakers to consider not only the stated goals of gun control regulations, but the actual results that they produce. What would be the effect of depriving ordinary, law-abiding citizens from keeping arms for self-defense? One result seems certain: the law-abiding would be at a distinct disadvantage should criminals acquire guns from underground markets. After all, it is simply not possible for police officers to get to every scene where they are urgently needed. Outside of criminology circles, relatively few people can reasonably estimate how often people use guns to fend off criminal attacks. If policymakers are truly interested in harm reduction, they should pause to consider how many crimes—murders, rapes, assaults, robberies—are thwarted each year by ordinary persons with guns. The estimates of defensive gun use range between the tens of thousands to as high as two million each year. This paper uses a collection of news reports of self-defense with guns over an eight-year period to survey the circumstances and outcomes of defensive gun uses in America. Federal and state lawmakers often oppose repealing or amending laws governing the ownership or carrying of guns. That opposition is typically based on assumptions that the average citizen is incapable of successfully employing a gun in self-defense or that possession of a gun in public will tempt people to violence in “road rage” or other contentious situations. Those assumptions are false. The vast majority of gun owners are ethical and competent. That means tens of thousands of crimes are prevented each year by ordinary citizens with guns. Details: Washington, DC: CATO Institute, 2012. 58p. Source: White Paper: Internet Resource: Accessed on February 3, 2012 at http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/WP-Tough-Targets.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/WP-Tough-Targets.pdf Shelf Number: 123938 Keywords: Armed ViolenceFirearmsGun ControlGun ViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Scambury, James Title: Groups, gangs, and armed violence in Timor-Leste Summary: Armed groups and gangs are not a new phenomenon in Timor-Leste, but evolved from clandestine resistance groups during the Indonesian colonial period to a heterogeneous multitude of collectives, including disaffected veterans, clandestine groups, political fronts, martial arts groups (MAGs), village-based gangs, youth collectives, and security organizations. Nine years after the end of the Indonesian occupation, the fact that gangs have diversified and multiplied is a testament to a range of social tensions in Timorese society and the continued weakness of the state and its institutions. During the occupation these groups protected their communities from Indonesian security forces and the latter’s proxies; now they protect their communities from one another. This Issue Brief reviews the presence and roles of gangs in Timor-Leste. In doing so, it examines their recent growth, the threats they pose, and their use of and access to weapons, in particular small arms. Details: Geneva, Switzerland: Timor-Leste Armed Violence Assessment, Small Arms Survey, 2009. 8p. Source: TLAVA Issue Brief No. 2: Internet Resource: Accessed on February 3, 2012 at http://www.timor-leste-violence.org/pdfs/Timor-Leste-Violence-IB2-ENGLISH.pdf Year: 2009 Country: International URL: http://www.timor-leste-violence.org/pdfs/Timor-Leste-Violence-IB2-ENGLISH.pdf Shelf Number: 123947 Keywords: Armed ViolenceFirearmsGangs (Timor-Leste)VigilantismViolent Crime |
Author: Frost, Emilia Title: Inclusive Security, Inclusive Cities Summary: For the first time in history, the majority of the world’s population resides in urban centres. It is also estimated that virtually all population growth over the next 25 to 30 years will occur in cities (UN-HABITAT, 2008a, p.9). As urban areas have grown, so has the problem of urban armed violence. While urban areas are not necessarily more violent or less safe than rural areas, their size concentrates victims of violence (OECD, 2011, p. 13; World Bank, 2011a, p. 17). Armed violence thus represents a challenge not only for states, but also for local government authorities, particularly at the city level. Local government agendas typically feature security and the protection from violence as key campaigning and public administration issues. Security concerns are not limited to the realm of national governments; at the local level, residents now frequently demand local security provisions, violence reduction programming, protection from violent crime, and victim assistance. Meeting these demands by providing the required services can be costly. In addition, high levels of urban violence impede economic and social development and undermine local governance, trapping ‘the poorest population in a dangerous cycle of poverty and violence’ (World Bank, 2011a, p. 1). Still, cities continue to draw numerous migrants with an offer of greater economic and social opportunities. The simultaneous growth of cities and urban violence thus calls for more concerted efforts to promote sustainable development as well as effective armed violence reduction and prevention policies. The first section of this policy paper highlights the particularities of urban armed violence and its detrimental impact on development. The following section presents a selection of the most critical risks—inequality, firearms proliferation, and limited government capacity. The paper then proposes an agenda for cooperation between the Geneva Declaration and city governments around the world, outlining several concrete steps for more effective armed violence reduction and prevention (AVRP) strategies in urban areas. Details: Geneva, Switzerland: Geneva Declaration Secretariate, Small Arms Survey, 2011. 8p Source: Policy Brief: Internet Resource: Accessed February 5, 2012 at http://www.genevadeclaration.org/fileadmin/docs/Policy-paper/GD_Inclusive_Cities_-_English.pdf Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.genevadeclaration.org/fileadmin/docs/Policy-paper/GD_Inclusive_Cities_-_English.pdf Shelf Number: 123982 Keywords: Armed ViolenceUrban AreasViolent CrimeWeapons |
Author: OECD Title: Reducing the Involvement of Youth in Armed Violence: Programming Note, Conflict and Fragility Summary: Armed violence is an everyday reality for millions of people around the globe. More than 700 000 people die as a result of armed violence each year. Many more experience traumatic loss in their families and are left with lasting psychological and physical scars. The impact of armed violence extends further, negatively influencing development, peace and good governance, often by creating a climate of impunity, corruption and by undermining public institutions. It is also closely tied with transnational crime and the misery and abuse associated with the illegal trafficking of arms, drugs and people. Finally, the economic impact of armed violence is striking with the cost of lost productivity due to non-conflict armed violence alone estimated to cost upwards of USD 95 billion annually worldwide. This violence has important youth and gender dimensions. The majority of perpetrators and victims are men, while women and girls are at greater risk of violence that is less visible and committed in the private sphere, including intimate partner violence, child abuse, sexual and gender based violence. Measures at reducing armed violence are therefore also measures at reducing human suffering. The OECD DAC policy paper Armed Violence Reduction: Enabling Development, published in 2009, acknowledged as a challenge the increased levels of armed violence in non-conflict countries, the increasing linkage between conflict and crime, rapidly growing youth populations in the south and accelerating levels of unregulated urbanisation. The paper provided a methodology to help donors tackle the programming challenging of reducing armed violence. Building on the OECD DAC policy paper, three programming notes were developed to contribute to our understanding of specific types of armed violence: Youth and armed violence, armed violence in urban areas and Security System Reform in relation to Armed violence reduction. Each note aims to improve our understanding of these dynamics while also offering practical assistance on assessments, programme design, risk management, monitoring and evaluation, as well as on entry points for direct and indirect programming. Details: OECD: 2011. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 7, 2012 at http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/18/12/47942093.pdf Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/18/12/47942093.pdf Shelf Number: 124030 Keywords: Armed ViolenceJuveniles |
Author: Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) Title: Investing in Security: A Global Assessment of Armed Violence Reduction Initiatives Summary: Conservative estimates indicate that at least 740 000 men, women, youth and children die each year as a result of armed violence, most of them in low- and medium-income settings (Krause, Muggah, Wenmann 2008). The majority of these deaths occur in situations other than war, though armed conflicts continue to generate a high incidence of casualties. Approaches to preventing and reducing these deaths and related suffering are becoming increasingly important on the international agenda. The United Nations (UN) Secretary General (2009) and UN General Assembly (2008) highlighted the relationships between armed violence and under-development and various high-level diplomatic processes are drawing more attention to promising solutions. In spite of the global preoccupation with the costs and consequences of armed violence, comparatively little evidence exists about how to stem its risks and effects. Virtually no information is available on armed violence reduction and prevention (AVRP) interventions, much less their effectiveness. This report aims to fill this gap. It seeks to generate more understanding of what works and what does not when it comes to armed violence reduction and prevention (AVRP), to stimulate further evaluation and to contribute to more effective and efficient policies and programmes. The report is based on a large-scale mapping of AVRP activities around the world, focusing primarily on programming trends in six countries – Brazil, Burundi, Colombia, Liberia, South Africa and Timor-Leste. These countries represent the very different programming contexts – from high rates of urban criminal violence to protracted post-conflict insecurity – in which development practitioners are currently engaged. While offering new data and analysis, this assessment builds directly on the report Armed Violence Reduction – Enabling Development produced by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s International Network on Conflict and Fragility (OECD, 2009a). An important evolution of AVRP programming in all six countries over the past decade was detected. Approximately two-thirds of all armed violence prevention and reduction activities reviewed in Brazil occurred between 2005 and 2010. Likewise, in Burundi, Colombia, Liberia, and Timor-Leste, nearly all initiatives began after 2005. Not only does the report highlight the importance of internationally-mediated peace processes and security promotion efforts as important entry points for preventing and reducing violence, it highlights the significant investments made by national governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in more developmental approaches to AVRP over the past decade. This report draws attention to the experimentation and innovation of AVRP initiatives. It finds that many actors are already actively engaged in “direct” and “indirect” AVRP activities, even if they label their initiatives by a different name. Many different practical approaches are used in AVRP activities to achieve the common objective of improving safety and security. Not only are the defence, police and justice sectors involved, but also specialists involved in urban planning, population health, tertiary and secondary education and youth programming. What many have in common is the experience of pursuing common comprehensive interventions to improve safety and security. Implementing agencies are similarly varied, ranging from multilateral and bilateral agencies to governments, NGOs and private organisations engaged in relief, development and social entrepreneurship. The most promising AVRP activities are forged on the basis of inter-sectoral partnerships and evidencebased approaches, and operate simultaneously at the local and national levels. Details: Paris: OECD, 2011. 82p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 14, 2012 at: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/10/0/48927716.pdf Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/10/0/48927716.pdf Shelf Number: 124128 Keywords: Armed ViolenceCriminal ViolenceHomicidesUrban AreasViolent Crime |
Author: Muggah, Robert Title: More Slums Equals More Violence: Reviewing Armed Violence and Urbanization in Africa Summary: The majority of the world’s population today live in cities. The uncontrolled development of informal settlements in many cities has led to the expansion of slums and shantytowns. In Africa figures show that in 2005 approximately 40 percent of the population live in urban areas with this number estimated to rise to 50 percent by 2030. Even more alarming, more than half of Africa’s urban populations reside in slums. The concentration of the poor in cities and the peripheries is expected to continue, with dramatic increases in pace and scale in developing regions such as Africa. Residents of sprawling slums and shantytowns are exposed to heightened exposure and risk of criminal violence, narcotics and communicable illnesses, all of which constitute potent determinants of armed violence. Because they are often located outside the reach of formal policing institutions, impoverished slums are less able to enforce the regulation of the trade and use of weapons, including firearms. There is an estimated 30 million small arms and light weapons on the African continent, of which approximately 80 percent are in civilian hands, it is likely that marginalized areas of Africa’s urban landscape will become home to ever-growing arsenals. As the scale and distribution of urban armed violence in Africa evolves, some agreement on the types of risk factors contributing to its onset and spread on the continent have been identified. These include: Structural factors such as limited education, under- and unemployment, income inequality and uncontrolled urban planning. Proximate factors include segregation and urban density, cultures of masculinity, limited faith in public security, informal social organizations such as gangs and militia, and arms availability.4 There is also a strong link between countries emerging from war and the onset of urban violence – usually of a political and criminalise form. This is usually accompanied by the erosion of emerging democratic and development institutions.5 It is important to remember that there is ‘neither a simple nor a necessary causal link between urbanization and armed violence’.6 This paper explores some of the links between urbanization and armed violence within the African context, examining the nature and impact of particular aspects of armed violence such as firearm homicides and the emergence of criminal gang activity and vigilantism. The paper also considers possible approaches to reduce urban armed violence, drawing on lessons learned in other developing regions. Details: Geneva: United Nations Development Programme, 2007. 8p. Source: Internet Resource: UNDP/Geneva Declaration Working Paper; Accessed March 30, 2012 at: http://www.genevadeclaration.org/fileadmin/docs/regional-publications/Armed-Violence-and-Urbanization-in-Africa.pdf Year: 2007 Country: Africa URL: http://www.genevadeclaration.org/fileadmin/docs/regional-publications/Armed-Violence-and-Urbanization-in-Africa.pdf Shelf Number: 113573 Keywords: Armed ViolenceEconomic ConditionsPovertySlums (Africa)Urban Violence |
Author: Bellis, Mark A. Title: Preventing and Reducing Armed Violence. What Works? Summary: The paper brings together promising and emerging evidence of what works to prevent interpersonal armed violence (through firearms), primarily in non-conflict situations. The paper provides an overview of the scale of armed violence, its impacts and the risk factors associated with it. It examines both direct approaches to preventing and reducing armed violence, and indirect approaches that do not address armed violence as their primary aim, but target risk factors for violence. Most scientific evidence currently comes from developed countries which generally have greater capacity and resources for designing, implementing and reporting the results of rigorous evaluations. However, the evidence-base from low- and middle-income countries is increasing, and this paper also provides examples of emerging evidence from around the world. Details: New York: United Nations Development Programme; Oslo: Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2010. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Background Paper: Oslo Conference on Armed Violence Achieving the Millennium Development Goals 20-22 April 2010: Accessed April 2, 2012 at: http://www.osloconferencearmedviolence.no/pop.cfm?FuseAction=Doc&pAction=View&pDocumentId=24291 Year: 2010 Country: International URL: http://www.osloconferencearmedviolence.no/pop.cfm?FuseAction=Doc&pAction=View&pDocumentId=24291 Shelf Number: 124797 Keywords: Armed ViolenceGun ViolenceViolence PreventionWeapons |
Author: Bayne, Sarah Title: Preventing and Reducing Armed Violence. Development Plans and Assistance Summary: The paper provides an overview of some of the emerging lessons learned about how armed violence reduction and prevention (AVR) priorities can be integrated into local, national and donor development plans and assistance strategies. AVR is driven by the humanitarian and development imperative to accelerate global development by reducing the global burden of armed violence. The AVR approach responds to contemporary challenges of violence by addressing the risk factors for crime, interpersonal violence and conflict. Local and national governments experience armed violence most directly and have pioneered a range of preventive responses, often with the support of local communities. The donor community and UN system are also increasingly aware of the potential of targeted preventive measures. They have begun to adapt their strategies and instruments to better assist countries in their struggle to prevent and reduce all forms of violence. Details: New York: United Nations Development Program; Oslo: Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2010. Source: Internet Resource: Background Paper, Oslo Conference on Armed Violence Achieving the Millennium Development Goals 20-22 April 2010: Accessed April 2, 2012 at: http://www.osloconferencearmedviolence.no/pop.cfm?FuseAction=Doc&pAction=View&pDocumentId=24294 Year: 2010 Country: International URL: http://www.osloconferencearmedviolence.no/pop.cfm?FuseAction=Doc&pAction=View&pDocumentId=24294 Shelf Number: 124798 Keywords: Armed ViolenceEconomic DevelopmentGunsPoverty ReductionViolence Prevention |
Author: Moyes, Richard Title: Victims and Survivors of Armed Violence. Responding to Rights and Needs Summary: The paper reviews key areas of policy and service provision relevant to the rights of victims and survivors of armed violence. It notes the broad humanitarian and development impact of armed violence in both conflict and non-conflict settings, and introduces a rights-based approach to victims and survivors of violence that has been developed over recent decades. It then summarizes key issues in areas of health, justice and social and economic inclusion and considers the implications for national level planning. It concludes with broad recommendations to strengthen international responses to the impact of armed violence. Details: New York: United Nations Development Program; Oslo: Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2010. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Background Paper, Oslo Conference on Armed Violence Achieving the Millennium Development Goals 20-22 April 2010: Accessed April 2, 2012 at: http://www.osloconferencearmedviolence.no/pop.cfm?FuseAction=Doc&pAction=View&pDocumentId=24289 Year: 2010 Country: International URL: http://www.osloconferencearmedviolence.no/pop.cfm?FuseAction=Doc&pAction=View&pDocumentId=24289 Shelf Number: 124799 Keywords: Armed ViolenceVictims of ViolenceVictims of Violent Crime |
Author: Gilgen, Elisabeth Title: Measuring and Monitoring Armed Violence. Goals, Targets and Indicators Summary: The paper sets out a framework of goals, targets and indicators to track armed violence, and to support prevention and reduction activities. The framework is based on extensive consultations with UN agencies and specialists in various disciplines. The three overall goals are to (1) reduce the number of people physically harmed from armed violence; (2) reduce the number of people and groups affected by armed violence, and (3) strengthen institutional responses to prevent and reduce armed violence. The paper also introduces eight specific targets that flow from these goals, and proposes specific indicators to measure progress towards achieving them. Taken together, the framework offers a means of comparing and measuring patterns and trends in armed violence to 2015 and beyond. Details: New York: United Nations Development Program; Oslo: Norwegian Ministry of Justice, 2010. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Background Paper, Oslo Conference on Armed Violence Achieving the Millennium Development Goals 20-22 April 2010: Accessed April 2, 2012 at: http://www.osloconferencearmedviolence.no/pop.cfm?FuseAction=Doc&pAction=View&pDocumentId=24290 Year: 2010 Country: International URL: http://www.osloconferencearmedviolence.no/pop.cfm?FuseAction=Doc&pAction=View&pDocumentId=24290 Shelf Number: 124800 Keywords: Armed ViolenceGunsViolence Prevention |
Author: Gilgen, Elizabeth Title: Armed Violence: Spotlight on Lethal Effects Summary: Armed violence—‘the intentional use of illegitimate force (actual or threatened) with arms or explosives, against a person, group, community, or state’ (Geneva Declaration Secretariat, 2008, p. 2)—has many harmful consequences, death being the most extreme. The reason why the number of violent deaths is frequently used as a proxy for armed violence is that killings are likely to be recorded more systematically than other crimes. Indeed, ‘[k]illing is treated seriously in all societies, which renders it more readily amenable to examination and measurement’ (Geneva Declaration Secretariat, 2011, p. 43). This Research Note is largely based on Chapter 2 of the Global Burden of Armed Violence 2011 (GBAV 2011) report, which presents the GBAV 2011 database (Gilgen, 2011). Established by the Small Arms Survey, the database provides an overview of the number of violent deaths that took place across all settings from 2004 to 2009, revealing that 9 out of 10 violent deaths occur in non-conflict settings. The chapter sheds light on the 58 countries most affected by armed violence between 2004 and 2009 and focuses on trends in countries that exhibit the highest rates of violent deaths per capita. Details: Geneva: Small Arms Survey, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, 2012. 4p. Source: Research Notes Number 17: Internet Resource: Accessed June 7, 2012 at http://mafiaandco.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/armed-violence-spotlight-on-lethal-effects.pdf Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://mafiaandco.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/armed-violence-spotlight-on-lethal-effects.pdf Shelf Number: 125328 Keywords: Armed ViolenceCrime TrendsViolence |
Author: De Martino, Luigi Title: Reducing Armed Violence, Enabling Development Summary: The residents of low- and middle-income countries bear a grossly disproportionate share of the global burden of armed violence. Insecurity and high levels of violence have profoundly negative consequences for societies and the quality of people’s lives. Not only does armed violence in its different forms kill and injure hundreds of thousands of people every year, but the impact of wide-scale violence and armed conflict is devastating on a country’s public institutions, national economy, infrastructure, and social cohesion (GD Secretariat, 2008, p. 31). Violence stops or even reverses development, especially in low- and middle-income countries. At the same time, weak governance, economic stagnation, and social inequalities contribute to the persistence of violence. This Research Note relies mostly on the key findings of the 2008 and 2011 Global Burden of Armed Violence (GBAV) reports (GD Secretariat, 2008; 2011), as well as on the World Bank’s World Development Report 2011 (World Bank, 2011). It examines the negative relationship between armed violence and development by providing an overview of the impacts of armed violence and considering the links between armed violence and development; more specifically, it highlights the statistical evidence on the linkages between lethal violence and specific Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). A clear message emerges from this analysis: if countries and donors want to realize their development goals, then addressing the root causes of armed violence becomes a priority for policy-makers. Details: Geneva, Switzerland: Small Arms Survey, 2012. 4p. Source: Small Arms Survey Research Notes, Number 19: Internet Resource: Accessed August 8, 2012 at http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-19.pdf Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-19.pdf Shelf Number: 125946 Keywords: Armed ViolenceCosts of CrimeCrime PreventionViolence |
Author: United Nations Development Program - San Salvador Title: Regional Forum for the Exchange of Experiences in the Prevention and Control of Armed Violence Summary: Violence is a complex problem, which is influenced by many different factors, among which are firearms. Although these firearms do not generate violence, there is no doubt that they greatly contribute to their deadliness. Approximately 300,000 people die each year in the world because of firearms, according to a report from Small arms Survey (2204). Of those, more than 200,000 are the product of violence and delinquency. Latin America, with almost 48% of the total, is at the head of the distressing world ranking of homicides caused by firearms. Numbers are not very encouraging for El Salvador: To date this year, an average of 12 persons dies every day because of violence. Of those, 10 have been murdered with a firearm, according to official data. Violence and the proliferation of firearms have direct consequences on the life quality of Salvadorans and a marked impact on the economy and development of the country. They generate direct and indirect costs for everyong, discourage capital investment and have an evident impact on the economy, governance and human development. A key factor in the prevention violence, delinquency and insecurity is to promote the control of the free distribution, and the reduction of firearms use by the civilian population. The Regional Forum for the Exchange of Experiences in the Prevention and Control of Armed Violence was held in San Salvador, on August 10 and 11 with the purpose of gathering international experts and representatives from diverse organizations and institutions in one place to work on the prevention and control of firearms in Latin America. Four international specialists delivered several magisterial conferences, which are presented in part one of this publication. Part two of the publication assembles the transcriptions of the expositions that representatives of diverse organizations and institutions in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Brazil, and El Salvador prepared regarding international, national and regional initiatives and projects related with the prevention and control of firearms. Details: San Salvador, El Salvador: United Nations Development Programe, 2006. 105p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 21, 2012 at http://www.pnud.org.sv/2007/index2.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=202&Itemid=56 Year: 2006 Country: Central America URL: http://www.pnud.org.sv/2007/index2.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=202&Itemid=56 Shelf Number: 126087 Keywords: Armed ViolenceFirearmsHomicidesViolent Crimes |
Author: Humansecurity-cities.org. Title: Human Security for an urban Century: Local Challenges, Global Perspectives Summary: The objective of this project has been to examine in detail the nature and scale of organized armed violence in urban areas and to explore the value of bringing a human security lens to the challenges posed by cities at the beginning of an “Urban Century.” For the first time in history, the majority of people now live in cities. Rapid urbanization is already shaping trends in global peace and security. Armed violence is increasingly taking place in sprawling hillside slums, involving adolescent boys with automatic weapons, corrupt police officers determined to “clean up” city streets, or vigilante groups who take justice into their own hands. The violence feeds on the toxic mix of transnational criminal organizations and failed public security. This book is the product of a unique research partnership between the Human Security Research and Outreach Program of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, and the Canadian Consortium on Human Security, a research network operated through the University of British Columbia’s Centre of International Relations. Over the past year, our two organizations have together explored the issues of human security in urban spaces. Through this partnership, we have sponsored expert dialogues and conferences, supported graduate student research awards, created a new website (www.humansecurity-cities.org), and presented our early findings to international experts at the United Nations World Urban Forum in Vancouver in June 2006. These research and outreach efforts were critical to the identification of a new community of expertise relevant to the human security and cities agenda. This book provides an overview of what we have learned from these expert consultations. It provides a collection of contributions from 40 leading academics, civil society experts, government officials, and graduate students woven together with a general narrative that tells a compelling story about the human security challenges and opportunities we will face. Among its main conclusions is that building secure cities — cities with effective public security; inclusive, participatory governance; and positive social capital — will be critical to the prevention of armed violence and the protection of civilian populations from such violence when prevention fails. This research suggests that achieving “cities without slums” — the 11th target of the seventh UN Millennium Development Goal — will require a clear recognition of the linkages between security and development. It also suggests that much more work is required by researchers and policy makers in order to fully understand the profound implications rapid urbanization holds for for the human security agenda. Details: Ottawa: humansecurity-cities.org, 2007. 112p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 17, 2013 at: http://www.eukn.org/E_library/Security_Crime_Prevention/Security_Crime_Prevention/Human_security_for_an_urban_century_local_challenges_global_perspectives Year: 2007 Country: International URL: http://www.eukn.org/E_library/Security_Crime_Prevention/Security_Crime_Prevention/Human_security_for_an_urban_century_local_challenges_global_perspectives Shelf Number: 127337 Keywords: Armed ViolenceCrime PreventionUrban AreasUrban CrimeUrban ViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Nowak, Matthias Title: Urban Armed Violence Summary: Currently the majority of the world’s population lives in urban settlements. Cities are important sites of opportunities and contribute to economic growth and development, yet they also face many challenges; e.g. increasing numbers of urban residents live in poverty, lack basic services, and suffer high levels of armed violence and insecurity. With the growth of the urban population, urban armed violence is increasingly recognized as a major issue confronting efforts to safeguard urban human security and safety. But urban settlements also provide space for innovation and creativity in dealing with human security needs. A starting point for addressing the delicate balance between urban security needs and the opportunities that cities offer is to understand the scope and intensity of and trends in urban armed violence in order to inform context-specific and evidence-based policies and interventions. This Research Note addresses the state of research into and some of the main debates around urban armed violence. It draws on relevant literature and research and in particular on work done by the Small Arms Survey and the Geneva Declaration Secretariat in this area. Firstly, it briefly introduces data and research findings on sub-national and city-level armed violence, with a particular focus on lethal violence. The second section examines the use of firearms in urban violence. The following section summarizes some of the main debates and questions around researching, preventing, and reducing urban armed violence. The Research Note concludes with some recommendations for policy and further research. Details: Geneva, SWIT: Small Arms Survey, 2012. 4p. Source: Internet Resource: Small Arms Survey Research Notes, Number 23: Accessed January 24, 2013 at: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-23.pdf Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-23.pdf Shelf Number: 127376 Keywords: Armed ViolenceGun ViolenceUrban AreasUrban ViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Hinton, Rachael Title: Armed Violence Monitoring Systems Summary: There is increasing global awareness that accurate and reliable data on the scope, scale, and causes of all forms of armed violence is vital for shaping policy, developing programmatic responses, and monitoring progress. Armed violence is strongly associated with negative development outcomes and slow progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (Geneva Declaration Secretariat, 2011, p. 145).1 Over the past few years the realization that the development and security of a wide range of countries, cities, and citizens were threatened by armed violence led to a global agenda for the prevention and reduction of such violence (OECD, 2011, p. 11). This agenda identified a number of entry points and resulted in the engagement of an increasingly diverse spectrum of actors and players, including, for example, in the areas of conflict prevention, peacebuilding, crime prevention, and public health. In the context of their own agendas, various stakeholders acknowledge the importance of applying evidence-based policy-making through the improved measurement and monitoring of armed violence. Some have established mechanisms and tools for monitoring and research, such as observatories (on crime and violence) or armed violence monitoring systems (AVMSs) to better understand the extent and distribution of armed violence in a variety of geographic settings in low-, middle-, and high-income countries (Gilgen and Tracey, 2011). Details: Geneva, SWIT: Small Arms Survey, 2013. 4 p. Source: Internet Resource: Small Arms Survey Research Notes • Number 27: Accessed April 5, 2013 at: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-27.pdf Year: 2013 Country: International URL: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-27.pdf Shelf Number: 128283 Keywords: Armed ViolenceGun ControlGun ViolenceGunsViolent Crimes |
Author: Racovita, Mihaela Title: In Search of Lasting Security: An Assessment of Armed Violence in Nepal Summary: This study, conducted together with its Kathmandu-based partner, Interdisciplinary Analysts, presents original research based on a national household survey covering more than 3,000 respondents as well as focus group discussions and key informant interviews in Nepal’s Hill and Terai regions, as well as data collected from official, non-governmental, and international sources. Since the end of the conflict Nepal has seen fluctuation in the incidence and severity of violence, with relative calm punctuated by bouts of violence in response to political events. While data shows several improvements in the security landscape, Nepal continues to be plagued by high volatility and uncertainty related to political and ethnic crises. The Special Report finds that: Despite persistent volatility, a majority of survey respondents were confident that security situation had recently improved in their area. Property crime was identified as the most common concern, across surveyed areas. Those with a steady source of income, or those carrying money or valuables were more likely to fall victims. Urban spaces and the Kathmandu Valley display higher concentrations of insecurity. Armed violence in Nepal is generally low-tech, using crude or makeshift weapons, such as bicycle chains or sticks, as well as traditional bladed weapons, improvised explosive devices, and home-made firearms. Based on self-reported and perceived ownership, between 41,000 and 84,000 households in the surveyed districts are estimated to own firearms. Overall police performance, accountability, and responsiveness were rated fairly high, with more than 80 per cent of respondents stating that they would seek help from the police in the event of an attack. However, many interviewees expressed concerns about police efficiency, citing lack of training, political interference, and a lack of standardized service as key issues. Details: Geneva, SWIT: Small Arms Survey, 2013. 104p. Source: Internet Resource: Special Report May 2013: Accessed May 15, 2013 at: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/C-Special-reports/SAS-SR20-In-Search-of-Lasting-Security-NAVA.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Nepal URL: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/C-Special-reports/SAS-SR20-In-Search-of-Lasting-Security-NAVA.pdf Shelf Number: 128731 Keywords: Armed ViolenceGun ViolenceGuns and CrimeProperty CrimeViolent Crime |
Author: Banfield, Jessie Title: Crime and Conflict: The new challenge for peacebuilding Summary: This report is offered as a contribution to the growing effort to understand the nexus between organised crime, armed violence and fragility, and to design effective responses. At the heart of the document is the hypothesis that an application of the approaches and overall lens of peacebuilding can enrich broader efforts to reduce and transform contemporary armed violence and fragility linked to organised crime. This approach has not been widely tested in practice, but when it has the results are promising. Over the course of the 20th century, a major period of inter-state warfare and wars of decolonisation gave way to an era of predominantly civil conflicts. The last decade points to further shifts, with far fewer civil wars now recorded worldwide. In their wake, observers seem to agree that conflict is again changing, but a common narrative as to the dominant direction of these changes, and hence the contours of the global peace and security agenda, has yet to gel. However, one major factor correlated to current changing forms of armed violence is now known to be the effect of new patterns, as well as increased scope and scale, both of organised crime and shadow economies operating at national and sub-national levels. Overlapping and blurred categorisations of a raft of non-state armed groups are often strung together in attempts to describe the complexities involved. We can identify three broad dimensions to organised crime and its relationship to armed violence and fragility that can help us hone in on the key problems to be tackled. First, its connection to power holders and political interests poses challenges to governance and statebuilding approaches where the state itself is complicit. Second, attention to the incentives that pull and/or push individuals into crime helps us to identify broad-based response strategies. Third, globalized market structures in key crime commodities, such as illegal drugs, point to the need to look inwards as much as outwards in their response in countries where high demand sustains the financial flows and profits of organised crime. This paints a complex picture. Given this complexity, the degree of consensus on the limitations of current approaches to the problem is perhaps not surprising. For example: - There is widespread recognition that notions of sovereignty can protect state officials complicit in organised crime; - The emphasis on locking up criminals as a major component of the global response to the problem may actually exacerbate violence in some cases; - Little headway has been made in reducing the receptivity of fragile contexts to criminal enterprise; and - Peacebuilding interventions have yet to adequately frame the issue of organised crime within overall responses to conflict and violence. Organised crime has hitherto been treated primarily as a law and order problem. The shift away from an exclusive focus on law enforcement has begun, but it is very recent. Nevertheless, attention to the relationship between organised crime and state fragility is increasing in development policy agendas, and is the subject of a number of recent reports and seminars. This reflects growing recognition that levels of armed violence and associated fragility related to organised crime in different settings demand policy-makers and practitioners to work across the range of factors and policy arenas involved, such as law enforcement and crime prevention, security and diplomacy, development and peacebuilding, and public health. The peacebuilding sector has been slow to come to the table, no doubt influenced by funders' priorities and institutional silos that currently work against the types of joined-up responses that are needed. However, designing interventions that are broad-based and transformative in intent can help to underpin a new generation of responses. In particular: - Conflict analysis is crucial for understanding the dynamics at play. Rounded analysis through a peace and conflict lens, differentiating between root causes, proximate causes and triggers, will help to inform more holistic responses and ensure that projects 'do no harm' - avoiding the unintentional reinforcement of negative conflict dynamics; - Dialogue - often initiated, facilitated and sustained by third parties who are trusted for their impartiality and/or expertise - can bring together the actors involved in and affected by the problem in order to generate solutions; and - Civic activism and empowerment emphasise the importance of bringing a wider range of actors to the fore. The capacity to leverage lasting solutions is to be found beyond state institutions and within and across communities. This includes not only non-governmental organisations (NGOs), but also business leaders, women's organisations, religious institutions and academics. In its concluding section, this report offers five priority areas for action: 1. Conflict-sensitive approaches need to be brought to bear on law enforcement. Law enforcement will remain a key response mechanism to the nexus between organised crime, armed violence and fragility. However, it needs to adopt a 'do no harm' approach as advocated by the peacebuilding sector in relation to development assistance. 2. There is a need for improved analysis and information flow across the whole range of local, national and global dimensions of organised crime. While there has been a flurry of attention to the issues, enormous knowledge gaps remain. Greater analytical purchase across all dimensions will facilitate better monitoring of the impact of policy responses. 3. There needs to be a more innovative and creative way of dealing with predatory power holders. Current state-building approaches require a deeper understanding of the role of predatory power holders, including how criminal agendas can be factored into peace negotiations and processes. Details: London: International Alert, 2014. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 23, 2014 at: http://international-alert.org/sites/default/files/CVI_CrimeConflict_EN_2014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: International URL: http://international-alert.org/sites/default/files/CVI_CrimeConflict_EN_2014.pdf Shelf Number: 133394 Keywords: Armed ViolenceFinancial CrimesOrganized CrimeShadow EconomiesViolence and Conflict |
Author: Richardson, Lydia Title: Armed violence and poverty in Brazil: A case study of Rio de Janeiro and assessment of Viva Rio for the Armed Violence and Poverty Initiative Summary: This report is the result of an 11-day visit to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in September 2004. Wider research and information were used to complement the stakeholder interviews held during this period. The objectives of the study were to: - Contribute to the UK Government Department for International Development- (DFID) funded Armed Violence and Poverty Initiative (AVPI) global research study on the links between armed violence and poverty. - Contribute to the AVPI global study on assessing and reviewing the impact of small arms and light weapons (SALW) projects on small arms availability/misuse and poverty. - Support the case study organisation (Viva Rio) with its internal reflection on strategy and impact. Causes of violence in Rio de Janeiro are multi-faceted. High levels of inequality and physical, social and economic exclusion from the formal system are some of the principle causes. This combines with cultural factors such as machismo and the draw of perceived higher social status and identity through joining gangs. The availability of guns, cocaine and the marijuana industry exacerbates the problem. The lack of an integrated public security strategy coupled with a violent and corrupt police, and a judiciary and prison system which is ineffective, are also contributing factors. The political and economic history of Brazil has played a part: the transition from dictatorship to democracy; rapid and unplanned urbanization; and shifts in labour market requirements to higher skill levels to meet new demands, resulting in high unemployment and frustration felt by those with some education but insufficient to secure a job in the formal economy. Perpetrators and victims of armed violence in Rio de Janeiro are primarily the police, drug traffickers (mainly young men of 14-29 years old), and civilians caught in the crossfire. Favelas are the main locations of gun violence but criminal violence does occur in other parts of the city. The principle type of armed violence is organised drug gang fighting for territorial control; police use of arms; armed robbery and petty crime. Details: Bradford, UK: University of Bradford, Centre for International Cooperation and Security, 2005. 49p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 6, 2016 at: http://bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:8080/bitstream/handle/10454/1000/AVPI_Rio_de_Janeiro.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Year: 2005 Country: Brazil URL: http://bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:8080/bitstream/handle/10454/1000/AVPI_Rio_de_Janeiro.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Shelf Number: 140028 Keywords: Armed ViolenceDrug-Related ViolenceFavelasGun-Related ViolenceJuvenile GangsPovertySocioeconomic Conditions and CrimeViolent Crime |
Author: Hume, Mo Title: Armed violence and poverty in El Salvador: A mini case study for the Armed Violence and Poverty Initiative Summary: One of the most powerful conflicts to affect Central America in the 1980s was that in El Salvador (1980-1992), resulting in the death of more than 80,000 citizens. This report on El Salvador is one of 13 case studies (all of the case studies can be found at www.bradford.ac.uk/cics). This research draws upon secondary data sources including existing research studies, reports and evaluations commissioned by operational agencies, and early warning and survey data where this has been available. These secondary sources have been complemented by interviews with government officers, aid policymakers and practitioners, researchers and members of the local population. The analysis and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or policy of DFID or the UK government Details: Bradford, UK: University of Bradford, Centre for International Cooperation and Security, 2004. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 6, 2016 at: https://core.ac.uk/download/files/10/6001.pdf Year: 2004 Country: El Salvador URL: https://core.ac.uk/download/files/10/6001.pdf Shelf Number: 140019 Keywords: Armed ViolenceDrug-Related ViolenceFavelasGun-Related ViolenceHomicidesJuvenile GangsPovertySocioeconomic Conditions and CrimeViolent Crime |
Author: Turner, Mandy Title: The Impact of Armed Violence on Poverty and Development. Full Report of the Armed Violence and Poverty Initiative Summary: This study examines the extent to which armed violence and small arms and light weapons (SALW) possession and usage, impoverishes individuals, groups, societies and states in various armed violence situations. The objective of the study is not only to advance and clarify understandings and knowledge in this area, which has been largely neglected in policy and research, but also to inform programme design and evaluation. In addition, it offers suggestions on how donors and agencies working in the field of armed violence/SALW and development can work better together to alleviate poverty. Details: Bradford, UK: University of Bradford, Centre for International Cooperation and Security, 2005. 99p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 6, 2016 at: https://bradscholars.brad.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/10454/1006/AVPI_Synthesis_Report.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2005 Country: International URL: https://bradscholars.brad.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/10454/1006/AVPI_Synthesis_Report.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 140020 Keywords: Armed ViolenceDrug-Related ViolenceGun-Related ViolenceJuvenile GangsPovertySocioeconomic Conditions and CrimeViolent Crime |
Author: Cliffe, Lionel Title: Armed violence and poverty in Somalia: a case study for the Armed Violence and Poverty Initiative Summary: Somalia represents an extreme case. It has experienced a long period of insecurity and instability; its people have been subject to a wide range of armed violence. Following the overthrow of the military regime in 1991, it has experienced the longest period of statelessness of any country in modern history. A period of intense armed conflict for power between factions based around the clans that make up Somali society eventually gave way to an unresolved stalemate in the capital and the south-central areas. Fighting between smaller militia groups who preyed on the population has continued in most of these areas until the present. In the northeast and northwest a degree of security was slowly negotiated and these areas have enjoyed relative stability and the state-type administrations of Puntland and Somaliland, respectively, which offer examples of control of small arms and light weapons (SALW) and armed violence. The case thus allows for analysis of several stages and types of armed violence and of the context of statelessness, but also comparison of the different processes at work in areas of much greater or lesser armed violence and impoverishment. The Republic of Somalia that came into being in 1960 has been subject to intense armed violence for most of its existence (and before). It has experienced military coup, inter-state war, insurgencies, civil war and ‘institutionalised disorder’ and insecurity. Likewise, SALW, as well as heavy weapons, have been widely spread since colonial times and through these stages of violent conflict, supplied by cold war powers, neighbouring governments and an active illegal market. The contending parties in the period of crisis since any semblance of a state with a monopoly of means of violence disappeared in 1991 have included: • Factional militias, mainly clan-based • Business militias, forced into self-protection • Private security guards • Freelance armed groups (mooryan) The problem of SALW is often seen by those bidding for political power in a new Somalia and by international actors as their spread to ‘civilians’. In reality it is their possession by these armed groups that represents a threat now and to a future peace. Without alternative livelihoods there is no solution. However, the juxtaposition of critically insecure with stable regions, which were also awash with SALW, demonstrates that their availability alone is not a single explanatory ‘cause’ of impoverishment. Details: Bradford, UK: Centre of International Cooperation and Security, Department of Peace Studies, 2005. 31p. Source: Internet Resource:Accessed February 13, 2017 at: https://bradscholars.brad.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/10454/1002/AVPI_Somalia.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Year: 2005 Country: Somalia URL: https://bradscholars.brad.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/10454/1002/AVPI_Somalia.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Shelf Number: 145769 Keywords: Armed ViolenceIllegal WeaponsMilitia GroupsPovertySocioeconomic Conditions and Crime |
Author: Raineri, Luca Title: Organised crime and fragile states: African variations Summary: Exactly how transnational organised crime (TOC) poses a security threat that may undermine the state, including its societal institutions, geopolitical stability and economic prosperity, is a question that has gained traction in public debates over the past decades. And discussions about extra-legal governance - i.e. those political, economic and social arrangements that take shape beyond and against the law - are very much present in Africa, where states are often portrayed as defective. Such discussions are often articulated through dichotomies, such as fragility vs. resilience, good governance vs. ungoverned spaces, and legal vs. criminal activity. Frequently inspired by abstract templates and moral logics, these dichotomies sometimes rest on the use of loose concepts, and hardly convey the meaning given to them by those people who deal with them in their daily lives. Details: Paris: European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), 2017. 4p. Source: Internet Resource: Issue Brief: Accessed April 8, 2017 at: http://www.iss.europa.eu/uploads/media/Brief_8_Crime_in_Africa.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Africa URL: http://www.iss.europa.eu/uploads/media/Brief_8_Crime_in_Africa.pdf Shelf Number: 144756 Keywords: Armed ViolenceOrganized CrimeViolent Crime |