Small Arms and Light Weapons:

Proliferation and Misuse

Ang Small Arms at Light Weapons

• Armas na maaring gamitin ng isa o dalawang tao

• Maaring kargahin ng tao, hayop at maliliit na sasakyan

Ano ang Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW)?

Mga Halimbawa ng Small Arms

• Revolvers

• Self-loading Pistols

• Rifles

• Carbines

• Sub-Machine Guns

• Assault Rifles

• Light Machine Guns

Ano ang Light Weapons at

Ammunition?

Mga Halimbawa ng Light Weapons

• Heavy Machine Guns• Grenade Launchers• Small Mortars• Mobile Anti-Aircraft and Anti-tank Guns• Mobile Rocket Launchers• Shoulder-Fired Anti-Aircraft Missile

Launchers• Mortars of Calibers Under 100mm

SALW Situation

• 639 Million – 650 Million SALW are currently in circulation around the globe

• Produced in 90 countries and 1,200 companies are involved in manufacture and trade all over the world

SALW Situation

Legal Trade

$ 4 Billion worth of small arms in the legal market

ILLEGAL TRADE

$ 1 BILLION lost annually BUT in circulation illegally.

Sino ang exporters ng SALW?

• United States

• Italy

• Belgium

• Germany

• Russia

• Brazil

• China

Largest SALW Importers

• United States

• Saudi Arabia

• Cyprus

• Japan

• South Korea

• Germany

• Canada

Ang Isyu/Problema ng SALW

• Small Arms and …

– Brokers– Children– Development– Disposal/Destruction Programs– Human Rights– International Humanitarian Law– Natural Resources– Peace Keeping / Peace

Process– Public Health– Terrorism– Tourism– Weapons Collection Programs– Women

Small Arms and Brokers

• Arms brokers are the key suppliers of weapons to violent non-state actors (eg. Rebel groups) and repressive governments

• Increasing activities of arms broker• Brokers are skilled at manipulating current weak national

and international arms control• Few countries have laws specifically regulating arms

brokering• 40 countries have developed national laws covering

arms brokering• The role of these trafficker is to supply small arms to

conflict zones

Small Arms and Children

• Children often suffer from small arms proliferation and misuse at a higher rate than the rest of the population

• Interferes with the fulfillment of basic needs and the provision of basic services that are essential for children

• Contributes to the use of child soldiers

Small Arms and Children

• Small arms are used to kill, injure, and commit human rights abuses against children and other civilians in armed conflict.

• They are vulnerable to the proliferation and misuse of small arms.

• They cause psychosocial trauma in thousands of children.

• Misuse of SALW interfere with the provision of basic services upon which children depend on.

• Results in massive displacement within their own countries.

• Reduce economic opportunities.

Small Arms and Development

• Fragile economies are damaged by small arms that fuel conflict and crime

• Development projects are hindered or deterred by small arms-related violence.

• The threat of small arms violence diverts scarce resources to security.

Small Arms and Development

• Destroy physical and human resources needed for economic growth.

• Extra expenditures for security reduce the amount of funds available for promoting agriculture, education, health care.

Small Arms and Disposal/Destruction Programs• Surplus or obsolete weapons are often

stored improperly, making them a public safety threat to the communities in which they are located.

• Surplus or obsolete weapons are often vulnerable to theft and diversion by criminals and other violent actors.

Small Arms and Human Rights

• Small Arms enhance the power of abusive forces to repress individuals and groups

• Small arms are used against cicvilians both in armed conflicts and in countries at peace.

• Small arms are transferred to abusive actors because of government involvement or negligence in implementing or enforcing arms controls

Small Arms and International Humanitarian Law

• Targeting civilians has become more common as a war-fighting strategy

• Small arms are easily available to a wide range of undisciplined actors

• Transfers of small arms to known abusers facilitate further atrocities.

Small Arms and Natural Resources

• Small arms are traded directly for commodities or purchased with the profits generated by commodity sales

• The same networks used to smuggle commodities are used to carry out illegal arms deal

• Profits from the sales of natural resources have been used to amr rebel groups, terrorist organizations, and government forces

Small Arms and Peacekeeping

• Small arms increase the possibility of outbreak of conflicts in areas of crisis

• Small arms endanger the safety of both international peacekeepers and the local population

• Destabilizing accumulations of small arms hinder lasting conflict resolution

Small Arms and Public Health

• Small arms kill hundreds of thousands of people every year and injure many more

• Small arms injuries burden hospitals and other health facilities, and small arms misuse disrupts the delivery of vital health services

• Small arms fuel conflicts that contribute to forced migration, the spread of infectious disease, and psychological trauma.

Small Arms and Terrorism

• Small arms and light weapons are the weapons of choice for terrorists and terrorist groups

• Small arms help create conditions in which terrorist networks thrive

• Multi-dimensional responses can reduce terrorists’ access to small arms.

Small Arms and Tourism

• Fear of conflict or crime-related gun violence keeps tourists from traveling to certain destinations

• Tourist sites are sometimes damaged or rendered inaccessible by ongoing hostilities

• Foreign tourists are sometimes expressly targeted in armed attacks

Small Arms and Weapons Collection Program

• Reduce the supply of weapons

• Prevent weapons from being used in crimes, banditry, and social violence

• Prevent weapons from fueling new conflicts in neighboring areas

Small Arms and Women

• Women experience the consequences of small arms violence on daily basis on both conflict and non-conflicts situations

• Women are disproportionately the victim of small arms violence compared with their role as gun owners and user

• Women are underrepresented in efforts with the aftermath of gun violence

Small Arms in the Philippines

• The Philippine Government recognized problem of the presence of illegal gun makers.

Philippines: Yearly Data of Small Arms

• 1999– 706,148 registered guns in the country– 329,985 unregistered ( lost from the registration

system when owners failed to renew their registration )

• 2002– 706,148 registered firearms– 349,782 unregistered

• 2003– between 270,000 and 600,000 illegally crafted guns in

circulation.

Philippines: Yearly Data of Small Arms

• 2004– 800,000 licensed– 320,000 unlicensed firearms– 520,995 illegal– 200,000 guns with expired registration– crime rose by 10%

Philippines: Yearly Data of Small Arms

• 2005– 900,000 registered firearms– 450,000 unregistered firearms– 150,000 estimated to be in the hands of

criminal organizations, warlords, communist and Muslim insurgents

– 1st quarter of 2005 heinous crimes such as murder and theft jumped another 10% according to PNP.

Philippines

• Sources of Small Arms– Local Manufacturer– Smuggling– Diversion from Government Stocks

Philippines

• 45 Legal Firearms Manufacturer

• 522 Authorized Dealers

• 133 Gun Repair Shops

• 3,000 – 5,000 Illegal Gunsmiths

Philippines

• Paltiks– Illegal gunsmiths in Lanao del Sur, Danao,

Mandaue City

• Sumpaks– Mainly used in gang wars in Metro Manila

Legal, Illegal/Illicit Trade and Transfer

• Philippine Cases– Yakuza importing Paltiks from Mandaue and Danao– Moro Rebels purchased Php 3M worth of Weapons

from North Korea– NPA rebels nationwide campaign to accumulate arms

from government stocks– Smuggled arms found in Ilocos Region from China

Taiwan– Smuggled arms from Vietnam and Cambodia found in

Southern Mindanao

Human Cost of Small Arms

• Guns are used to kill Journalist since 2001

• Displacement of indigenous people in the Mountains of Cordillera in 1999 and civilians in Central Mindanao in 2001 during military operations

• Street crimes and violence

• Rape and kidnapping

Factors for Proliferation

• Internal conflict

• Lack of effective legal framework and law enforcement

• Corruption within the state government

• The presence of expanding criminal networks

National Legislation

• Laws on – Possession, use, registration– Gun ban– Penalties on illegal possession and use of weapons

• Measures– Production and purchasing quotas on firearms

producers– Stockpiling– Balik-Baril Program

Philippine Action Network on Small Arms (PhilANSA)

PhilANSA• The Philippine Action Network on Small Arms

(PhilANSA) is a loose network of peace organizations and advocates. It was convened prior to the UN Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspect in July 2001.

• PhilANSA is now composed of 14 organizations/networks across the country. These are organizations/networks working on different areas/issues (i.e. peace, human rights, public health, children, demobilization, reintegration, relief and rehab, etc).

• PhilANSA is an active member of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) that supports the efforts of organizations working to prevent the spread and misuse of small arms.

PhilANSA

• It is the thrust of the network to contribute in addressing the complex issue of weapons in society and coordinate efforts and/or support initiatives that address the issue.

• Specifically:– on the demand and supply side of weapons;– the misuse and proliferation of arms;– the impact of weapons in society;– the impact of weapons in the development programs

in communities, and;– the protection of communities;

The Global Campaign to Control the Arms Trade

Stop the flow

Drain the pool

The Solution

Supply Side• Stop the flow of arms to

abusers - ATT

Demand Side• Make people safe

from armed violence - Community Safety Agenda

PhilANSA

• Boat Race in Cambodia• International Launch in London

• World Social Forum in India 2004

• World Social Forum in Brazil

• Manila • Bike Rally in Nepal

THE MILLION FACES CAMPAIGN

• UN Review Committee On Small Arms last July 2006 collapsed without a substantive conclusion primarily because of strong dissenting position from the US, Cuba, India, Iran, Israel and Pakistan.

• What is the next step?

– NGOs, International Organizations will continue on Lobbying to Parliamentarians and World Leaders

• What YOU can do?

• Write to Government Agencies (DFA, PNP, AFP, Malacañang) asking them to support the ARMS TRADE TREATY

• Log on to www.controlarms.org and join the Million Faces Campaign

• Be an advocate and stop the proliferation of small arms.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!