IANSA Update 3 October 2008

Campaign against aerial firing during Eid
DR Congo: Resurgence of rape and child soldier recruitment
Finland: New guidelines for handgun permits
Ireland: Government considers banning handguns
Liberia: President Sirleaf backs the ATT
Colombia: Feminist activist assassinated alongside her family
Paraguay: CLAVE condemns Paraguayan police advice on armed self defence
Somalia: Pirates hold Ukrainian ship carrying arms for Kenya
Afghanistan: Top policewoman murdered by Taleban
Other news: Bosnia campaign; Cape Verde establishes NATCOM; UNIFEM job

Campaign against aerial firing during Eid
IANSA members in Muslim communities are urging civil society organisations and religious leaders to speak out against the tradition of firing bullets in the air during Eid, after a man and a woman were killed by children playing with their fathers' guns in Saudi Arabia.

DR Congo: Resurgence of rape and child soldier recruitment
Up to half of all child soldiers who are released from fighting and reunited with their families are being re-seized by armed groups in the North Kivu region of DR Congo. The resurgence of child soldier recruitment is documented in a new Amnesty International report, No End to War on Women and Children. The report also documents armed groups and government forces continuing to rape and sexually abuse women and girls, and sometimes men and boys. Infant children and older women are among the victims, with many suffering gang or multiple rapes. Read more here.

Finland: New guidelines for handgun permits
The Finnish government has introduced stricter rules on gun licenses, following last week's school shooting in Khauhajoki in which 11 people lost their lives. The Interior Ministry said handgun permits would no longer be granted to first-time applicants, who must now train for at least a year at a gun club before being allowed to apply for a license. Applicants must also provide a note from a doctor about their mental health and have a face to face interview with the police. Laura Lodenius from Peace Union of Finland said: "The government's actions are a step in the right direction. Now we have to see that these new rules are implemented in practice. It is sad that so many lives were lost before the government tackled the issue." Read more here.

Ireland: Government considers banning handguns
The Irish government is considering banning handguns in the aftermath of the Finnish shooting tragedy. There are 218,000 civilian owned guns in Ireland, mostly shotguns and rifles. Last August a High Court judge explicitly linked increasing handgun ownership to rising homicide and suicide rates. Read more here.

Liberia: President Sirleaf backs the ATT
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf reaffirmed Liberia's support for an Arms Trade Treaty in her address at the 63rd Session of the UN General Assembly. President Sirleaf said: "Armed conflicts in Liberia and around the world are exacerbated by easy access to small arms and light weapons. Thus, as part of the efforts for durable peace in conflict zones, we must put into place rigid measures to ensure effective control of these weapons. My government supports the Arms Trade Treaty." Conmany Wesseh, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and a founding member of IANSA, has been appointed as the new Liberian representative to the UN.

Colombia: Feminist activist assassinated alongside her family
The Colombian activist and campaigner Olga Marina Vergara has been assassinated in Medellin, alongside her son, daughter-in-law and five year old grandson. Olga was a member of Ruta Pacifica de las Mujeres, a campaigning organisation on violence against women, and a member of Women in Black, an international feminist anti-militarist network. Ruta Pacifica said: "This massacre is inadmissible and demonstrates the degradation of the Colombian war and society. We call for an end to impunity and social permissiveness towards violence against women, which has intensified in this conflict." IANSA conveys its deepest sympathy towards Olga's family, Ruta Pacifica and Women in Black.

Paraguay: CLAVE condemns Paraguayan police advice on armed self defence
CLAVE, the Latin American network of IANSA members, has condemned the police in Paraguay, after they advised civilians to carry guns to defend themselves against criminals. CLAVE called the statement "deeply worrying" and called on the Paraguayan government to create a culture of peace, rather than advocating armed violence and abuse of firearms. CLAVE hopes to work alongside the government in establishing stricter mechanisms to limit the proliferation of small arms.

Somalia: Pirates hold Ukrainian ship carrying arms for Kenya
A Ukrainian ship containing weapons purchased by the government of Kenya is being held hostage by Somali pirates. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence reported the ship contained 33 tanks and a large quantity of ammunition. The ship was seized on 25 September and has highlighted both the threat of armed piracy in Somalia, and the risk of diversion during arms transfers.

Afghanistan: Top policewoman murdered by Taleban
Gunmen in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar have killed the country's most prominent policewomen. Lt-Col Malalai Kakar, head of Kandahar's department of crimes against women, was shot in her car as she was about to leave for work. The Taleban said they carried out the shooting.

Other news

• The Centre for Security Studies has embarked on a campaign with UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina to raise awareness of illegal and legal possession of firearms. The campaign was initiated with a sporting event in Bijeljina on 20 September, which attracted local young people and their parents.
• Cape Verde has established a National Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons. The islands are the last West African states to establish a NATCOM, which is a key obligation under the Programme of Action.
• UNIFEM is recruiting a Programme Manager for their Kosovo operation. The deadline is 7 October.

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