World toasts global week of action against small arms
By Robert Mtonga
THIS week marks the fourth annual Global Week of Action Against Small Arms. Around the world, local and national organisations are drawing attention to the human toll of small arms proliferation and misuse and demanding that governments put the safety of their people first.In Central Africa, illegal firearms pose a major threat to public safety, facilitating crime and fuelling and prolonging conflict. Small arms and light weapons such as assault rifles are especially suited to the irregular warfare that is still widespread in the region because they are cheap, easy to use, widely available and durable.
Millions of lives have already been lost in the region, and the supply of arms to both governments and rebel groups continues to grow.
As part of the Week of Action, the Zambian Action Network on Small Arms (ZANSA) is sensitising secondary school pupils on the negative effects of these devices, as well as collecting signatures of concerned citizens calling for stricter regulatory control of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Zambia.
Wars and conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and not-too-long ago, Mozambique have had a severe toll on the security and humanitarian situation in Zambia.
Small Arms and Light Weapons not only lead to death and suffering, but they facilitate criminality, retard development, facilitate the violation of human rights, promote the creation of a culture of violence and lead to the breakdown of the social fabric of families, communities and nations.
The Government and other relevant authorities should therefore take concrete steps, working nationally, sub-regionally, regionally and internationally to curb the proliferation of illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons.
Specifically the Government should:
(1) Take measures that reduce the demand for weapons by a wide range of interventions strategies that should include accelerating socio-economic development, education, non-violent conflict resolution and good responsive governance.
(2) Regulate the sale, use and possession of firearms by civilians by ensuring stricter regulatory controls, storage requirements and the promotional of social values that lead to good neighbourliness and social cohesion.
(3) Patrol more vigorously our borders with a view to curbing the smuggling of firearms from neighbouring countries as well as preventing the use of Zambia as transit point and market for illicit firearms.
(4) Enhance capacity building and enforcement of policing standards using modern methods to effectively control the proliferation and misuse of firearms in Zambia.
The Government should also implement the provisions of the United Nations Programme of Action on The Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light weapons in All its Aspects, the African Union and SADC protocols on firearms and other international conventions and norms dealing with firearms control.
There is need for the Government to work with other States to elaborate an International Treaty to Regulate Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons that should regulate State to State Transfers, Import/Export Transit controls, Controls on Brokering and marking and Tracing Standards and international Cooperation in the policing of the illicit trade and misuse of Firearms.
For too long, small arms have been ignored or overlooked as threats to the security and well being of civilians. Although the recognition is growing that the proliferation and misuse of these weapons must be brought under better control, States have been reluctant to take bold action.
That must change if we are to prevent the suffering and loss of lives that continue unabated. One step the Government can take is to support the Arms Trade Treaty.
(The author is the chairperson of Zambian Action Network on Small Arms)
