Cambodia suffers from ongoing and evolving gun-related security threats. While the situation has improved in many ways compared to several years ago, armed crime including threats, extortion, robbery, and murder, continues. These incidents not only harm individuals, the consequent insecurity impedes development of the nation as a whole.

In the first six months of 2004, 220 gun-related incidents were reported in the national print media. Robberies and personal conflicts, the two most common categories of incidents, accounted for 76% of total incidents. 352 individuals were victimized by gun misuse in these cases, many of which involved multiple victims. Among victims whose gender was specified, nearly a quarter were female, while among the victims whose age was reported, 84% were adults between the ages of 18 and 50, while 7% were children and 7% were over 50 years old. 67 victims were killed, including 6 females, and 105 injured, including 33 females (31%). Although less than half as many cases of personal conflict/vengeance were reported as were robberies, each case of conflict or vengeance was nearly twice as likely to lead to casualties. Among suspected perpetrators of these crimes, at least 14 died and 107 received injuries during the incidents. As for crime scenes, 56% of all gun related crimes reported occurred on a street or in a public area, while a third occurred in a private residence.

Recent WGWR research has found that while gun violence may be declining, gun-related threats have increased over the past few years. These latter incidents remain for the most part out of the public eye. It is likely that even many gun crimes that result in casualties or property loss remain unreported, due to the remoteness of the sites. Additionally, hundreds of Cambodians may be affected by extortion committed by armed personnel, but these occurrences only receive media attention in extreme cases or when concerned groups raise an alarm. We may reasonably conclude that the total number of gun crime incidents is certainly well in excess of what has been reported in media outlets. This is supported by a recent government report on crime in Phnom Penh for the first six months of the year, which noted 234 armed robberies in the city alone, though how many of these involved firearms is unclear.

From July 1 to 9, as part of the International Week of Action to confront small arms proliferation and misuse, WGWR has taken special measures to address these ongoing threats. During this time WGWR has hosted a major conference in Kampot, bringing together 70 individuals from four provinces, including leaders, police and military officers, and representatives of international and local organizations to review gun collection and control activities, discuss ongoing small arms related insecurity, and propose solutions. Additionally, from 6-8 July WGWR led teams of student volunteers to gather over 5700 self portrait cards as part of the Million Faces Petition, supporting Cambodia's participation in an international Arms Trade Treaty to regulate arms brokering and stem the dangerous cross-border flow of weapons. The Working Group for Weapons Reduction will continue working vigorously confront the threats to Cambodian society posed by small arms abuse.

For more information please contact WGWR at (855) 23 222 462; E-mail: wgwroffice@wgwr.org