Iraqi police officer on duty at a protest in Baghdad on 5 June 2006
© HADI MIZBAN/AP/EMPICS

Guns are readily available as the level of sectarian violence increases in Iraq, as reported recently in the Washington Post.

During the war of 2003, millions of small arms were lost from military stockpiles. There are estimated to be up to 8 million guns circulating in Iraq, among just 26 million people. And these guns are the single greatest threat to civilian security, according to the Iraq Body Count organisation. Between 1 May 2003 and 18 March 2005, 5,502 civilians were killed in incidents involving explosions, while 8,894 people were killed in crime, nearly all by small arms.

The Iraqi Organisation for Rehabilitating Society and Environment is an IANSA member working to raise awareness of the small arms crisis in Iraq. They conducted a survey into perceptions of security as part of the 2006 Global Week of Action Against Small Arms.

Click here to see the preliminary results of the survey.