| Gun violence is a gendered phenomenon. The
vast majority of small arms are bought, sold and owned by men; and
when someone is shot, it is almost invariably a man who pulls the
trigger. The relationship between victim and perpetrator also shows
a gendered pattern. Men tend to be shot by strangers or in battle;
but women are most at risk of gun violence from people they know.
Examples of armed domestic threats are remarkably similar across
cultures - for example, a husband shooting the family pet as a warning
to wife and children. Men are more likely to associate guns with
a feeling of greater security; whereas women believe strongly that
guns make communities unsafe. Sexual assault at gunpoint is a devastating
phenomenon experienced by huge numbers of women in conflict zones.
Though they are often depicted as victims
of gun violence, women are also taking the lead in reducing the
impact of small arms. In countries as diverse as Albania and
South Africa, Brazil and Bougainville, women participate in awareness-raising
and gun collection programmes, lobby governments for the reform
of gun laws, and contribute in a number of
creative and courageous ways to initiatives that get guns off the streets and
out of their homes.
Links:
Report
on Gender Perspectives on SALW
Documents from the IANSA Women's Caucus, 2001 UN Conference on Small Arms:
IANSA Women's Statement
Collection
of Women's Testimonies
Role
of Women in the Movement against Gun Violence
The
makings of the Million Mom March
Gender
Mainstreaming in Disarmament
Women in Conflict Zones:
Protection
of Civilians: Gender Considerations for Disarmament, Conflict
Transformation and the Establishment of Human Security (International
Alert, 2003)
The
War Within The War: Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls in
Eastern Congo (Human Rights Watch, 2002)
Violence
Against Women Living in Situations of Armed Conflict (WHO workshop
2000)
Pamphlet
on gun violence against women (Gun Control Alliance, South Africa)
Girl
Soldiers: Challenging the Assumptions. Rachel Brett, Quaker
UN Office Geneva (2002)
The
Voices of Girl Child Soldiers. Yvonne E. Kearns PhD, Quaker UN Office Geneva (2002)
UN links:
UN
DDA Gender Mainstreaming Action Plan (PDF, 2003)
Statement
on gender mainstreaming in disarmament (2001)
UN
Briefing note |
