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RESPONSE: US/UN: Sign the petition for small arms controls

July 23, 2001


(RE: UA-24-2001 - Sign the Amnesty petition for small arms controls)

24 July 2001
Gen. Colin Powell
US Secretary of State

Dear General Powell,

Every minute, one human life is snuffed out because of small arms. At the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons, John Bolton, the US Undersecretary of State for Arms Control, stated that the US will block the proposed UN plan of action to curb small arms controls. His reason was that if the UN plan went ahead, it would undermine the US contitutional right for individuals to bear arms. His alternative was to strengthen existing arms embargoes and the development of more stringent national policies against the illicit small arms trade on the part of member states. It is urgent and necessary that we ask, "Is this response adequate?"

Annually 90% of the 500,000 deaths from use of small arms will be civilians. UN statistics show that 40-60% of the over 500 million small arms in circulation are illicit and have been employed in 46 of the 49 major conflicts conducted since 1990. Such light, managable - and exceedingly available - weapons make them the weapons of choice for child soldiers. Numbering around 300,000, these children present us with one of the greatest tragedies of our times. These weapons remain long after conflicts are over, wreaking havoc in the fabric of the societies where they exist. The shock waves of small arms transfers during the Cold War continue, mostly within the 'Global South'.

It is of great concern that the UN conference focus was on illicit trade only - as the 'licit trade' results in small arms moving from military and police use into civilian hands over time. While the UN Charter states that the UN has no jurisdiction over any state's national legislation, the question of not violating national sovereignty must be treated in such a way as to allow for effective restrictions to be implemented to prevent civilian use of these weapons. The Coordinating Action on Small Arms has a recommended plan of action aimed at facilitating tighter regulation of the legal small arms industry, increasing export controls, enabling the tracking of illicit arms through a uniform marking system, and creating more stringent controls over access to small arms for military personnel and civilians alike. This strategy, however, is stymied by the US which opposes UN controls on the transfer of small arms to non-state actors and maintains that limits on the domestic small arms industry are unacceptable.

As the US is the world's biggest weapons producer, it surely has the greatest moral responsibility to ensure responsible use of these weapons. There has been some momentum towards broad international cooperation to curb the small arms trade, but Washington's reluctance to nurture this could prove very costly in lives. The huge lobbying power of the National Riflemen's Association influences how the US behaves at international fora on small arms control. Even with around one million guns in the hands of students and the tragically high homicide rate in US schools, the NRA maintains its influence. Outside the USA, we can see what a vast obstacle the NRA presents in achieving positive movement towards small arms controls.

Apart from the direct wounding and killing by small arms and the impact this has on the public health sector, their prevalence exacts an enormous price. Conflict zones do not attract investors, and the socio-economic cycle of poverty, misery and violence is perpetuated. Millions of refugees flee from regions of intimidation and violence. The operations of humanitarian agencies can be subverted by the spread of small arms, paramilitaries and terrorists.

The Western Australian Branch of Medical Association for Prevention of War is deeply concerned at the US stance as expressed at the UN small arms conference. Our members appeal to you, as a humane man, to advocate effective and cooperative action by your powerful country to rein in the global prevalence of small arms.

Yours sincerely,
Judy Blyth
Coordinator
MAPW (Western Australia)
PO Box 1093
Subiaco
Western AUSTRALIA 6904


Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID :
UA-24-2001-02
Issues :
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Extended Introduction: Urgent Appeals, theory and practice

A need for dialogue

Many people across Asia are frustrated by the widespread lack of respect for human rights in their countries.  Some may be unhappy about the limitations on the freedom of expression or restrictions on privacy, while some are affected by police brutality and military killings.  Many others are frustrated with the absence of rights on labour issues, the environment, gender and the like. 

Yet the expression of this frustration tends to stay firmly in the private sphere.  People complain among friends and family and within their social circles, but often on a low profile basis. This kind of public discourse is not usually an effective measure of the situation in a country because it is so hard to monitor. 

Though the media may cover the issues in a broad manner they rarely broadcast the private fears and anxieties of the average person.  And along with censorship – a common blight in Asia – there is also often a conscious attempt in the media to reflect a positive or at least sober mood at home, where expressions of domestic malcontent are discouraged as unfashionably unpatriotic. Talking about issues like torture is rarely encouraged in the public realm.

There may also be unwritten, possibly unconscious social taboos that stop the public reflection of private grievances.  Where authoritarian control is tight, sophisticated strategies are put into play by equally sophisticated media practices to keep complaints out of the public space, sometimes very subtly.  In other places an inner consensus is influenced by the privileged section of a society, which can control social expression of those less fortunate.  Moral and ethical qualms can also be an obstacle.

In this way, causes for complaint go unaddressed, un-discussed and unresolved and oppression in its many forms, self perpetuates.  For any action to arise out of private frustration, people need ways to get these issues into the public sphere.

Changing society

In the past bridging this gap was a formidable task; it relied on channels of public expression that required money and were therefore controlled by investors.  Printing presses were expensive, which blocked the gate to expression to anyone without money.  Except in times of revolution the media in Asia has tended to serve the well-off and sideline or misrepresent the poor.

Still, thanks to the IT revolution it is now possible to communicate with large audiences at little cost.  In this situation there is a real avenue for taking issues from private to public, regardless of the class or caste of the individual.

Practical action

The AHRC Urgent Appeals system was created to give a voice to those affected by human rights violations, and by doing so, to create a network of support and open avenues for action.  If X’s freedom of expression is denied, if Y is tortured by someone in power or if Z finds his or her labour rights abused, the incident can be swiftly and effectively broadcast and dealt with. The resulting solidarity can lead to action, resolution and change. And as more people understand their rights and follow suit, as the human rights consciousness grows, change happens faster. The Internet has become one of the human rights community’s most powerful tools.   

At the core of the Urgent Appeals Program is the recording of human rights violations at a grass roots level with objectivity, sympathy and competence. Our information is firstly gathered on the ground, close to the victim of the violation, and is then broadcast by a team of advocates, who can apply decades of experience in the field and a working knowledge of the international human rights arena. The flow of information – due to domestic restrictions – often goes from the source and out to the international community via our program, which then builds a pressure for action that steadily makes its way back to the source through his or her own government.   However these cases in bulk create a narrative – and this is most important aspect of our program. As noted by Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Basil Fernando:

"The urgent appeal introduces narrative as the driving force for social change. This idea was well expressed in the film Amistad, regarding the issue of slavery. The old man in the film, former president and lawyer, states that to resolve this historical problem it is very essential to know the narrative of the people. It was on this basis that a court case is conducted later. The AHRC establishes the narrative of human rights violations through the urgent appeals. If the narrative is right, the organisation will be doing all right."

Patterns start to emerge as violations are documented across the continent, allowing us to take a more authoritative, systemic response, and to pinpoint the systems within each country that are breaking down. This way we are able to discover and explain why and how violations take place, and how they can most effectively be addressed. On this path, larger audiences have opened up to us and become involved: international NGOs and think tanks, national human rights commissions and United Nations bodies.  The program and its coordinators have become a well-used tool for the international media and for human rights education programs. All this helps pave the way for radical reforms to improve, protect and to promote human rights in the region.