DanChurchAid
We believe in life before death
Policy on Armed Violence Prevention and Reduction
Armed Violence on the Agenda
Armed violence blights the lives of millions of people around the globe. There are estimated to be 875 millions small arms circulating worlwide and around 740,000 people die every year from armed violence – surprisingly, the majority of these deaths occur outside of war-zones.
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DanChurchAid works with many communities that are severely affected by armed violence. Our partners witness first-hand the impact of weapons misuse and the programmes we support may be hampered by insecurity and instability. Sharing in the growing international consensus that concrete action must be taken for development to take place, DanChurchAid has now adopted a policy on Armed Violence Prevention and Reduction.
Our intention is to actively seek out opportunities for concrete measures against armed violence in the countries in which we work. In so doing DanChurchAid hopes to become one of the leading international NGOs to tackle the risk factors of armed violence head-on and view security, not just as a by-product of development, but a right for all that can be achieved through joint action.
The impact of Armed Violence on Development
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| 740,000 people die every year as a direct result of violence associated with conflict, large and small-scale criminality; The majority (490,000) die outside of war zones; Armed violence is the fourth leading cause of death for 15-44 year olds worldwide; Non-conflict armed violence costs between 95 and 163 billion USD annually; The presence of a weapon in the home triples the risk of the female partner being murdered. |
Armed violence can take multiple forms and occurs in peaceful, wealthy countries as it appears in poor war-torn communities. Whether as lethal domestic violence, full-scale war, organised crime, police brutality or sporadic banditry, the impact of weapons misuse is complex and similarly diverse.
From the psychosocial and physical cost to the individual victim to the devastating effect of insecurity on economic development armed violence undermines human dignity and livelihoods. As always, the most vulnerable are those who are worst affected.
A growing body of data proves the link between under-development and armed violence.
Vital national resources that should be spent upon social services and infrastructure are eaten up by spending on weapons and security. The attention of voters and politicians is frequently diverted from poverty reduction and environmental protection towards crime and punishment. At the grassroots level, the livelihoods of poor and vulnerable people are being undermined by the persistent threat of guns.
How we work to prevent and reduce Armed Violence
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| Photo: Mody Berethe |
DanChurchAid has long worked with vulnerable populations to help them achieve their rights to food, shelter, economic opportunity and good governance amongst others. In the late 1990s DanChurchAid started to focus on the right to human security through opening a humanitarian demining programme. Our work on Armed Violence Prevention and Reduction continues this theme.
Recognising the significant amount of work already underway to advocate for stricter controls of the weapons trade, DanChurchAid will focus on interventions to improve community security. This means adapting our existing programmes or starting new projects that will tackle the risk factors for armed violence. For example by:
- reintegrating ex-combatants who may otherwise become involved in armed crime;
- improving the relations between the police and the community so that security services are more effective and accountable to vulnerable people;
- raising awareness of the dangers of weapons possession;
- helping young people find alternatives to gang membership;
- enhancing the storage facilities of state-owned weapons to reduce the risk that they will leak into the civilian population or cause lethal accidents;
- increasing access to justice so that the perpetrators of armed violence are identified and tried;
Interventions will be decided by the context and will be rigorously assessed to make sure that they are effective and respond to the real security needs of the vulnerable population.
Activities to date
Burundi
DanChurchAid has been working in Burundi since 2006 to reduce armed violence. Projects have included:
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Police awareness training - brochures and posters |
- A national awareness raising campaign on the dangers of small arms possession. The campaign was delivered through the national council of Burundian churches (CNEB) with DanChurchAid providing the expertise to develop messages and materials. Over 200,000 have so far been reached through this project funded by the US department of state.
- Training the Burundi police to change behaviours regarding dangerous weapons storage practices, abusive practices during weapons collection campaigns and to improve public communication on risks of small arms.
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Collaborating with the Small Arms Survey on a national survey of armed violence. DanChurchAid funded a researcher to collect data for the report that was authored by the Geneva based institution.
Read more on the Small Arms Survey awareness site
Read more about DanChurchAid's Humanitarian Mine Action in Burundi
Albania
Following the Gerdec tragedy 2006 when a weapons destruction site caught fire, DanChurchAid has been assisting the Albanian authorities clear and destroy abandoned small arms and light weapons.
26 people were killed in the explosion and DanChurchAid responded by mobilising resource from its humanitarian demining programme in the country.
Read more about DanChurchAid's Humanitarian Mine Action in Gerdec, Albania
The Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development
The Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development, endorsed by more than 100 states, commits signatories to supporting initiatives to measure the human, social, and economic costs of armed violence, to assess risks and vulnerabilities, to evaluate the effectiveness of armed violence reduction programmes, and to disseminate knowledge of best practices.
The Declaration calls upon states to achieve measurable reductions in the global burden of armed violence and tangible improvements in human security by 2015. DanChurchAid is participating in an informal NGO working group to monitor and input into the process.
Why DanChurchAid?
Armed Violence Prevention and Reduction is a new and complex area of work for development and humanitarian actors. It requires diverse skills, excellent contextual knowledge and a willingness to tackle issues that international NGOs have traditionally left alone.
We believe that the following factors make DanChurchAid uniquely equipped to navigate these challenges:
- a network of church and secular partners spread across many countries with unparalleled credibility and local knowledge;
- experience in weapons management and destruction from Humanitarian Demining Programmes;
- knowledge of livelihoods, good governance, HIV/Aids, humanitarian assistance and gender programming;
- a rights based approach to ensure that interventions are designed to place people at the centre of all decision making
For further information or questions about the Policy on Armed Violence Prevention and Reduction please contact:
Programme Officer Thomas Skov-Hansen, tsh@dca.dk