IANSA Women’s
Network
Bulletin No. 19, 2009: Women at Work:
Preventing Gun Violence
ISSN 1994-2206 (print), ISSN 1994-2214
Contact: Sarah Masters - Sarah.Masters@iansa.org
http://www.iansa.org/about.htm
Women
at Work: Preventing Gun Violence
Number
19, 2009
•
Campaign aims and objectives;
•
Disarm Domestic Violence launches worldwide;
•
How to get involved.
MAIN
STORY
The danger
within: guns in the home
The
problem of guns in the home is fundamentally linked to the wider issue of
disarmament. Of the nearly 900 million small arms in the world today, 75% are
in the hands of private individuals — most of them men.
The
disarmament community must begin to address one of the most serious aspects of
small arms proliferation - the deaths and injuries caused by guns in the home.
For example, in France and South
Africa, one in three women killed by their husbands is
shot; in the USA
this rises to two in three.
To
date, most of the research available on what increases the risk of a woman
being killed in the home has been conducted in countries of the global North.
These studies have found that access to a gun can increase the risk of death by
up to five times. Another has compared female homicide rates with gun ownership
levels in 25 high-income countries, and found that where firearms are more
available, more women are killed.
When
considering violent crime, it’s natural to focus on the role of illegal small
arms. But, actually, most firearms used in domestic homicides are legal. It is
also important to consider the misuse of guns by the security sector, including
police officers and soldiers when off-duty.
The
phenomenon also affects those in post-conflict contexts, when guns circulate in
the community, and post-conflict stress, limited economic prospects and a
reduction in basic services combine to exacerbate the problem of domestic
violence.The law can help. Australia, Canada,
South Africa
and Trinidad & Tobago are among the handful of countries that have harmonised
their legal frameworks on gun licensing and on domestic violence. This means
the gun law prohibits ownership by domestic violence offenders, and the
domestic violence law requires the removal of guns. In addition to
strengthening gun control legislation, domestic violence legislation may
include prohibitions against perpetrators of domestic violence from purchasing
or possessing a firearm.
In
fact, such a prohibition is included in the 1996 United Nations recommendations
of the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women for legislation on domestic
violence. In 2008, an Expert Group organised by the United Nations Division for
the Advancement of Women recommended that protection orders for victims of
domestic violence include prohibitions on the purchase, use or possessing a
firearm or any such weapon specified by the court.
Through
the Disarm Domestic Violence campaign, IANSA members are pushing for this
harmonisation to be replicated in many more countries. At a minimum, police
should be required to consult the spouse or former spouse before approving a
gun license application. This is crucial because in many cases, the man who
kills a woman has previously threatened or committed violence, without coming
to the notice of police.
The
goal is ambitious, but recent successes demonstrate that such changes are
possible. Several countries have reformed their gun laws over the past decade
and have begun to see the benefits, especially for women.In Canada, spousal
notification is already the norm, and the Canadian government has established a
toll-free telephone number that a spouse can call to express any concerns about
an applicant, or report alleged crimes that may not be in the legal records.
Similarly, in Australia and South
Africa, weapons are removed if a restraining
order is made for domestic violence.
These
laws are making a real difference, and reducing gun deaths. Canada
tightened its gun laws in 1995. By 2003, the gun murder rate dropped by 15 per
cent overall, and by 40 per cent for women. Australia
overhauled its gun law in 1996. Five years later, the average gun murder rate
was 45 per cent lower than it had been before the reforms. Again, the effect
was more pronounced for women.
Canada
and Australia reformed
their gun laws more than a decade ago, but few countries have followed, despite
these successes. More women will be protected if other countries respond in a
similar way with gun laws that take domestic violence into account. These
shootings are so often preventable, if the policymakers and police respect the
knowledge and instinct of those closest to the gunmen. We must all consider how
gun violence affects our lives and communities, and demand from our governments
and legislators policies and practices to protect women in the home.
AIMS AND
OBJECTIVES OF THE CAMPAIGN
Many
people do not realise that the greatest risk of gun violence to women around
the world is not on the streets, or the battlefield, but in their own
homes.
All
over the world, in every class, race and caste, in every religion and region,
there are men who subject their intimate partners to physical or psychological
violence, or both. Family killings are the only category of homicides where
women outnumber men as victims.
When
a woman is killed in the home, it is her partner or male relative who is most
likely to be the murderer, often with a prior record of domestic abuse. Gun
violence can be part of the cycle of intimidation and aggression that many
women experience from an intimate partner. For every woman killed or physically
injured by firearms, many more are threatened.
Why
are guns so deadly in domestic assaults? One reason is the severity of the
wounds caused by gunshot which is highly destructive of human tissue. Another
reason is that the presence of a firearm, with its threat of lethality, reduces
a woman’s capacity for resistance or escape. The trauma of being threatened by
a husband or partner is all the greater when he brandishes a gun and there is a
very real danger of being killed. The wife of a US
soldier told researchers: “He would say, ‘You will do this, or...’, and he
would go to the gun cabinet”.
IANSA
women from over 20 countries are already involved and collecting information
about the scale of the problem in Argentina,
Cameroon, Canada,
Colombia, DR Congo, El
Salvador, Haiti,
Liberia, Macedonia,
Mexico, Namibia,
Nepal, Pakistan,
Paraguay, Portugal,
Serbia, Sierra
Leone, Sri Lanka,
Sudan, Uganda,
and Venezuela.
CAMPAIGN
GOALS
Goal
1
Develop
an international network of advocates for women’s rights, who are committed to
ending armed domestic violence.
Goal
2
Contribute
to developing comprehensive and holistic legislation for prevention of domestic
violence and protection of victims. Help each organisation in advocacy to take
guns out of the hands of actual or potential abusers. This will require the
passage of laws and/or regulations including:
· Consider an
individual’s history of domestic violence when dealing with gun licence
applications and renewals;
· Police should
discreetly consult current and former spouses/partners when an individual
applies for a firearm licence;
· Where there is a
threat to safety guns should be removed and licences suspended or cancelled;
· Improve the
communication links among police, courts, prosecutors’ offices, and centres for
social work/shelters, including the collection, storage and exchange of
information;
· Police should make
available statistics for use in the analysis and monitoring of armed domestic
violence incidents;
· Health professionals
and social workers must be authorised to disclose information to the police if
they have concerns about an individual in possession of a firearm.
Goal
3
Support
organisations to develop common strategies, strengthen their advocacy, build
capacity and solidarity, including the sharing of 'good practice' in policy
development, media engagement, fundraising and campaign promotion.
Goal
4
Lobby
at the international level to ensure that the governments fulfill their
international commitments to prevent violence against women; and take full
advantage of key events and meetings on the international calendar.
THE
CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES AROUND THE WORLD
THE AMERICAS
Argentina Argentine parliamentarian Deputy Luciano Fabris raised
awareness about the campaign by introducing a bill, and promoting it on the
congress website. Asociación para Politicas Públicas gained the support and
commitment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which has agreed to promote
future activities.
Brazil The campaign was launched as part of the Disarmament Convoy,
led by Viva Comunidade and the Disarm Brazil Network – with the support of Viva
Rio and the Brazilian government. The Convoy has traveled through 14 cities.
Canada The campaign jointly coordinated by Project Ploughshares,
Peacebuild and the Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against
Women and Children was launched at the opening of the 1st Annual Canadian
Conference on the Prevention of Domestic Homicides.
Colombia Colectivo Dignidad Humana held public events in Santiago
de Cali, at a health centre, a school, and the University.
El
Salvador CEMUJER launched the
campaign at the Monument to the Constitution in San
Salvador. The Parliamentary Commissions on Public
Security and Narcotics and the Commission on Family, Women and Childhood are
now discussing CEMUJER’s proposals.
Mexico In San Cristobal
de las Casas the group COLEM spoke about the campaign in their radio programme
Aquelarre on Frecuencia Libre 99.1.
Paraguay Coordinadora para Asentamientos Espontáneos initiated a
programme of media outreach to print and broadcast journalists.
Turks
& Caicos Islands The Gender Affairs
Unit partnered with Women Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD) to hold
a public rally and march.
USA An opinion piece by the Executive Director of the
Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV) was published in
The Seattle Times. WSCADV linked the campaign to research and policy
recommendations from the Washington State Domestic Violence Fatality Review. Gladys Momanyi, a student at Nova
Southeastern University
in Florida, developed an outreach programme for the
campaign, organised a conference and collected signatures for a petition urging
Florida State
to strengthen its gun laws to prevent domestic violence abusers from having
guns.
AFRICA
Cameroon The Trauma Centre in Cameroon
launched the campaign on 22 May with a month-long survey about guns in the
home, interviewing more than 100 households in Yaounde.
Women in Alternative Action Cameroon (WAA) led a training session on survey
techniques using campaign questionnaires.
Democratic
Republic of Congo Over forty women's organisations participated in the
launch in Kinshasa, organised by
members of the IANSA Women's Network, and the
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).
Kenya IANSA Africa Coordinator Joseph Dube
introduced the campaign at the meeting of the African Council of Religious
Leaders.
Liberia Liberians United to Expose Hidden Weapons (LUEHW) were
interviewed by Patience Guanu on the UN Radio programme ‘Coffee Break’ and drew
attention to the campaign. At a symposium in Monrovia,
Youth for Community Academic & Development Services (YOCADS) urged campaigners
to lobby the Liberian parliament to protect women against gun violence in the
home.
Namibia The campaign was launched on the radio during “The Ninth
Hour” by the national Namibian Broadcasting Company (NBC), Interviews were also
given to the Damara/Nama radio station. A letter and opinon piece were
published in The Namibian newspaper, and The Republikein.
Nigeria Women activists from the CAFSO-Women’s Rights Action
Group visited the parliament of Oyo State
to ask members to support tough legislation to reduce gun violence. An Enugu
based NGO, Women Information Network (WINET) appealed to both the Federal and
State governments to support the campaign. The Women's Right to Education
Programme met the Commissioner for Women's Affairs in Benue
State to discuss how guns affect
women.
Rwanda SaferRwanda organised a seminar for community leaders in
Kimonye Sector, Muasanze District, in the gun-affected north of the country.
Participants discussed options for removing guns from circulation in the
region, and disarming domestic violence within the community.
Senegal In a public event organised by the Movement Against Small
Arms in West Africa (MALAO) and WAANSA-Senegal in Dakar,
Honoré Georges Ndiaye, Executive Director of MALAO urged the Senegalese
government to amend the law to include spouses in the investigation process
when an application for a gun permit is made.
Sierra
Leone The Sierra Leone
Action Network on Small Arms (SLANSA) launched a media campaign. SLANSA members
are pressing for the government to harmonise gun and domestic violence laws,
and for spouses and partners to be consulted before a gun license is granted -
an essential measure to protect women.
South
Africa Laura Pollecut of the
Ceasefire Campaign led meetings in Pietermaritzburg, in the province
of KwaZulu Natal including a
meeting with staff and residents from The Haven, a women’s shelter. Laura
explained how South African law can be used to ensure that domestic violence
abusers are denied access to guns. She stressed that more resources are needed
to make sure that the law is implemented properly.
Sudan Women Development Group (WDG) in Khartoum
held a two-day workshop on gun violence in the home. WDG, in association with
Sawa Sawa Women Association, Women Relationship, and Ekawia Association led a
peace march to the Council of Ministers. Mary Rose Mariano, the Minister of
Social Development, spoke about the impact of guns on women and gave examples
of recent incidents where women had been killed by their husbands.
Uganda The Centre for Conflict Resolution (CECORE) and the
Uganda Action Network on Small Arms (UANSA) co-sponsored the launch of the
campaign in Kampala. The event
featured expert panelists who spoke about the intersecting problems of domestic
violence and small arms in Uganda.
Zambia Charles Mulenga of the Action Network Advisory on Small
Arms (ANASA) held a press conference with the Ministry of Defence. Charles stressed
the need for a review of firearm laws, including those to tackle armed domestic
violence.
ASIA
India At a meeting of the Manipuri Women Gun Survivors’ Network
Mrs M Sobita, Secretary of Women’s Action for Development, highlighted the
difficulties faced by women. The meeting included moving testimonies from gun
survivors, concluding with a resolution to stay vigilant and continue working
towards curbing domestic violence in Manipur.
Nepal Parliamentarians, policy makers and representatives of
the police and army heard evidence about the impact of small arms on innocent
people at a meeting in Kathmandu. The meeting, jointly
organised by the Institute of Human Rights Communications Nepal (IHRICON),
South Asia Peace Alliance (SAPA Nepal) and National Women Security Watch (NWS)
featured a research paper highlighting the use of guns in domestic
violence.Sixty-one cyclists rode through the streets of Kathmandu
to deliver a memo to all political parties in support of the campaign. The memo
urged all parties to take action to prevent domestic violence committed with
guns. The campaign launch was covered by Nepal TV, and in leading national
daily and weekly newspapers. The event was organised by SAP-Nepal, SASA Net
Nepal and Yatra, a youth organisation. Daniel Prins from the UN Office for
Disarmament Affairs participated.
Pakistan At a briefing in the Multan Press Club organised by the
Awaz Centre for Development Services, Awaz chief executive Muhammad
Zia-ur-Rehman launched the campaign. He pointed out that huge numbers of
firearms were being used in violence against women, with rifles being used to
beat women, as well as threaten them with shooting.Blue Veins, based in the North
West Frontier Province
made a poster on the danger of guns in the home and community. In Peshawar,
Community Initiatives Support Services (CISS) raised awareness of the problem
of guns in the home and their link to family violence. CISS also held a
community gathering with emphasis on youth involvement, and a walk through Peshawar.
Sri
Lanka The South Asia Small
Arms Network in Sri Lanka
launched a mini survey on guns and domestic violence as part of the campaign.
Questionnaires have been translated into local languages and are being used in
three districts: Pollonnaruwa and Anuradhapura from the North
Central Province
- both on the border with the conflict zone - and Hanguranketha District in a
peaceful zone. The information from these districts will enable SASANet to
identify areas for further research. They hope to extend the research to other
districts as part of the international campaign.
EUROPE
France On 20 June AP Peace Fellow Rebecca Gerome and fellow
activists organised an event to publicise the Disarm Domestic Violence campaign
in Paris.
Macedonia Journalists for Children and Women Rights and Protection
of Environment (JCWE) held a press conference at the Deputies Club in Skopje.
JCWE launched their report on armed violence and women based on data collected
as part of the campaign. 95 survivors of domestic violence were surveyed of
whom 95% said the perpetrator had access to a gun; 91% believed the gun was
held illegally; and 73% thought that their children were aware of a gun in the
home.
Portugal The Observatory on Gender and Armed Violence (OGAV) based
at the Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra, launched the campaign
and screened the premiere of the documentary 'Luto como Mãe' (Right to Mourn)
directed by Luis Carlos Nascimento.
Serbia Jasmina Nikolic of the Victimology Society of Serbia
(VDS) was interviewed on Belgrade-based television network TV Pink in the
morning news programme on 15 June. Jasmina highlighted the group’s
anti-violence campaign by stressing the link between the possession of small
arms and domestic violence. Later that week VDS launched the campaign at the
Belgrade Media Centre. Speakers included: Dr Mirjana Dokmanovic who is an
international lawyer, journalist, researcher and lecturer on human rights and
women’s rights, and President of the Women’s Centre for Democracy and Human
Rights in Serbia & Montenegro;
Professor Dr Zelko Nikac, who is also a police officer; Professor Dr Vesna
Nikolic Ristanovic; and Jasmina Nikolic, both from VDS.
UK The Gun Control Network published a list of incidents in
the UK in which guns are known to have
been used in acts of domestic violence.Women in Black (London)
and the IANSA Women’s Network held a vigil
near Trafalgar Square to highlight
gun deaths amongst women in domestic violence incidents in the UK.
Legally-held weapons (rifles, shotguns, airguns) are used in murders of women
in the home. In England and Wales,
one in three women killed by their husbands is shot with a legally-owned
weapon, and 64% of these murders involve shotguns. Since 2004, nearly three
quarters of the 39 female gun homicide victims in Britain
were killed in domestic incidents.
HOW YOU
CAN GET INVOLVED
We
can all help to increase awareness, and prevent armed domestic violence.
COLLECT
INFORMATION
•
contact us for questionnaires you can use to find out how it is affecting your
community.
TALK
• to
friends and colleagues;
• to local clubs and societies and in schools, colleges, workplaces, places of
worship;
• to unions or professional organisations.
PHONE
• any relevant radio phone-in show – be heard!
JOIN
• with like-minded people; form a local group to raise awareness;
• with an existing local group to organise meetings and demonstrations;
• a national or local demonstration.
WRITE
• letters to local community and elected representatives and urge them to
ask your government to harmonise gun laws and domestic violence laws;
• inform your local domestic violence group, helpline or shelter about the
campaign;
• press releases for distribution to local or national media about your
organisation’s activities;
• letters and articles, and submit them to local newspapers, or make
suggestions to journalists and editors on how they could develop a strong and
constructive story on guns in domestic violence.
ORGANISE
• a roundtable meeting;
• a radio program and interviews by contacting program producers and proposing
interviewees who can promote and discuss the issue.
DISPLAY a poster — make your own or see www.iansa-women.org
for ideas.
WEAR a badge or make stickers to raise awareness and show your support.
Contact us to obtain the design for the campaign so you can produce your
own.
ENGAGE in non-violent direct action — organise a public event or
demonstration involving women against gun violence.
COPY this Bulletin and give it to someone else.
REMEMBER you don't have to spend a lot of time. Small personal actions
count — but do take action.
THE
ADVOCACY PROJECT
The
Advocacy Project (AP) is an NGO based in Washington,
DC. Its mission is to produce social change
by partnering with advocates around the world. We are delighted to receive
campaign support from AP through the Peace Fellows programme. Our Fellows are:
Argentina: Asociación para Politicas Públicas
Althea Middleton-Detzner
Canada: Project Ploughshares
Elizabeth Mandelman
Colombia: Colectivo Mujeres Pazificas
Rebecca Gerome
Namibia: Breaking the Wall of Silence
Johanna Wilkie
Nepal: SAP Nepal
Isha Mehmood
Portugal: Centre for Peace Studies/OGAV
Aaron Fuchs
Serbia: Victimology Society of Serbia
Fanny Grandchamp
Uganda: The Centre for Conflict Resolution (CECORE)
Courtney Chance
The IANSA
Women's Network (WN) is the only international network
focused on the connections between gender, women’s rights, small arms and armed
violence. It was formed in 2001 as a women’s caucus at IANSA events and now
links members in countries ranging from Fiji
to Senegal, Argentina
to South Africa, Canada
to Sudan. We
are grateful to the Government of Norway
for its support.