Women, gender and guns

Women are disproportionately affected by gun violence. Although men comprise around 90% of deaths by guns, they are almost 100% of the buyers, sellers and users.  Women are also victimised by sexual violence at gunpoint, through threats and other trauma, and through their role as caregivers and survivors. In this way, armed violence is a heavily gendered phenomenon.

The IANSA Women's Network is the only international network focused on the connections between gender, women’s rights, small arms and armed violence. The IANSA Women's Network is composed of individuals and groups working to:

- Stop gun violence against women in the home, on the streets or on the battlefield;

- Involve women fully in peacemaking, peacebuilding and disarmament;

- Ensure that women’s interests are served by policies on guns;

- Reduce military spending;

- Break the link between violence and masculinity

- Prevent gun violence around the world.

More on www.iansa-women.org

Latest news

Second Review Conference of the UNPoA

The Second Review Conference for the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (UNPoA), is about to commence at the UN Headquarters in New York, 27th - 7th August, 2012.

India: Seminar on the Role of Women in Peace building & Conflict Prevention

The Indian Institute for Peace, Disarmament & Environmental Protection (IIPDEP), IANSA member in India, and Nav Bharat Nirman Sangh- Hyderabad undertook a range of activities for the Global Week of Action. A seminar was held in Hyderabad, South India, which was attended by many political leaders, intellectuals, youth and policy makers. Participants deliberated on how to curb the menace of SALW and urged the Government of India to take leadership in the ATT Diplomatic Conference.

Uganda: Workshop on gender and small arms, gun laws and the ATT

The Eastern African Sub-Regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI), IANSA member in Uganda, is holding a workshop the Kapchorwa District in Eastern Uganda with the district task force of the National Focal Point on Small Arms. The objective is to create awareness about gender dimensions on small arms and the ATT, and to educate the participants on Uganda’s gun legislations and gun policies.  Marren Akatsa-Bukachi, Executive Director of EASSI also wrote an article the need to include ammunition in the ATT that was published in the daily newspaper the New Visio

Nepal: IANSA Women organise event on gender and the ATT

The Institute of Human Rights Communication Nepal (IHRICON), IANSA member in Nepal along with the Armed Violence Reduction Working Group and National Women Security Watch Group, organised an interactive workshop on the “Arms Trade Treaty and Gender”. Ms. Prassanata Wasti presented data on the security situation of Nepal since 2010. Ms. Shobha Gautam, IHRICON’s founder and president, presented her paper on the Arms Trade Treaty and Gender.

DR Congo: Banners and radio messages on the impact of small arms in Eastern DRC

IANSA members in the DR Congo organised a wide range of activities. Association des Volontaires du Congo, ASVCO aired messages on the Global Week of Action on four radios stations, RTNC-Goma, RTCT, Radio Sauti ya INJILI and Radio RAU-FM. ASVCO and MONUSCO organised a march to help child survivors of the misuse of SALW talk about their cases and set up banners in school courtyards. AFIA-FEV, ADIFE Sud-Kivu and AVREO, the coalition of South-Kivu organisations, put banners on main streets and organised a workshop with political and military officials.

Latest resources

Guns are the weapons most widely used to kill women

Firearms were the weapons most widely used to kill women in 44 countries around the world, said the Third International Report on Partner Violence against Women.

Website on women & peace

PeaceWomen launched their new upgraded website to access information and exchange resources on women, peace and security.

IANSA Women’s Network bulletin

The latest bulletin of the IANSA Women’s Network is now available.

25% of Peruvian women killed in 2009 were shot

A quarter of Peruvian women that were killed in 2009 were shot, according to a report by the Observatory on Criminality, part of the National Attorney's Office.

OSCE releases 'Gender Monitor' newsletter

To mark International Women's Day, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has published its first edition of the ‘Gender Monitor’.

Survivors: Women affected by gun violence speak out
‘Survivors’ presents women’s experiences of gun violence in their own words.
Impact of guns on women's lives

Women comprise a small proprtion of the users of guns, yet suffer greatly from them, and are also vital to any successful disarmament process. This 2004 report contains information on the way guns affect women, and how women's rights groups are mobilised to prevent gun violence. It was written for the Control Arms Campaign was produced by Amnesty International, IANSA and Oxfam.