Managing weapons
Guns kill more people each year across the globe than landmines. Illicit weapons and unsecured ammunition undermine peace, security and stability in countless countries. Unsecured weapons fall into the hands of insurgents, extremists and criminal gangs, threatening civilian life. They are a threat to global security in places from Central America to West Africa and the Balkans.
According to the UN, there are over 750 million illicit weapons in circulation globally. They are used in terrorist attacks and human trafficking, and stoke endemic violence in fragile states. The majority of illicit weapons originate from government stockpiles, and are stolen, diverted or captured by criminals.
Meanwhile explosive stockpile accidents cause thousands of casualties and cost millions of dollars in damage. Incidents happen regularly around the globe, often a result of weak security-force capacity, poor government accountability and ageing infrastructure. These incidents degrade stability and contribute to the displacement of civilians.
SECURING WEAPONS
In countries like El Salvador the large numbers of guns imported during the civil war or smuggled from weapons stores and overseas combine with gang culture to threaten people's safety, undermine life chances and destroy communities. They mean local people like Maria fear for their safety every day. We are working with the police and armed forces to secure weapons and build a safer future for El Salvadorans.
BUILDING CAPACITY
By training local police and soldiers to international standards for the management of arms stores, we build capacity and help countries to help themselves. Consequently, we play a key role in achieving peace and stability after conflict.
WEAPONS MARKING IN BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA
HALO works with governments and national security forces to mark and register state stockpiled weapons and those found or seized by the police.
Marking and record keeping allows the tracking and tracing of weapons, reducing the likelihood of them falling into the wrong hands and making communities safer.
Women managing weapons
War and violent conflict have a disproportionate and unique impact on women and girls, recognised by UN Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. This resolution also acknowledges the vital role women play in building more peaceful and stable communities, through participation in peace processes, post-conflict reconstruction and security efforts.
However, in areas such as weapons and ammunition management, women are heavily underrepresented – according to research by UNIDIR, men constituted 86% of all participants in WAM training. Gender stereotypes, lack of access to training and poor infrastructure often impede women from entering the sector.
HALO is committed to ensuring women's full participation in the arms control sector. Thanks to the support of The Government of Canada we have developed a three-year programme to provide technical weapons and ammunition training to increase the participation of 'Women in WAM' and build a new generation of female experts and leaders in the field.
The project aims to provide high-quality technical training, including in: weapons and explosive ordnance destruction, stockpile and ammunition management, weapons marking and armourer qualifications.
In the first two years of the Women Managing Weapons project 14 women have participated in a total of 26 trainings developing skills in areas such as weapons marking and registration and explosive ordnance disposal.
