Armed violence and small arms and light weapons: fast facts

In this brief, it is estimated that more than 740,000 people die each year as a result of the violence associated with armed conflicts and large and small scale criminal violence. The majority of these deaths occur in non-conflict settings. It is pointed out that armed violence is the fourth leading cause of death for persons between the ages of 15 and 44 worldwide. The brief also provides details of issues such as:

• Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in circulation: it is estimated that at least 875 million small arms and light weapons in circulation today
  
• Impact on development: armed violence destroys lives and livelihoods, breeds insecurity, and hampers prospects for human development
  
• Gender: Young men are the main perpetrators and victims of armed violence
  
• Base-line assessments which identify the nature, scale, frequency and dynamics of armed violence in a particular country, province or community
  
• Development of livelihood opportunities through micro grants and training, and other income-generation activities
  
• Awareness rising on the impact and cost of armed violence through information and advocacy campaigns.

Recommendations:

Governments, donors and development actors must:

• Promote a comprehensive approach to armed violence reduction issues, recognizing the different situations, needs and resources of men and women as well as boys and girls
  
• Take action to deal effectively both with the supply of, and the demand for small arms and light weapons
  
• Stem the proliferation, illegal trafficking and misuse of small arms and light weapons and ammunition, and support the implementation of effective weapons reduction and small arms control initiatives
  
• Enhance the financial, technical and human resources devoted to addressing armed violence and small arms and light weapons related issues.