Explosive weapons: their impact on women

And the importance of strengthening a gender perspective in disarmament and arms control.

Concern with the use of explosive weapons in populated areas has increased over the last few years, given the harm they are increasingly causing to civilians and the wider community.

However, the debate has so far not sufficiently highlighted the specific impact that explosive weapons have on women.

A new report by Reaching Critical Will seeks to draw attention to some of the – unique – impacts on women that explosive weapons have when used in populated areas.

It argues that it is important to ensure that women affected by the use of explosive weapons receive the same assistance and legal protection as men, and that they are seen as active agents of change rather than only as victims.

The report is part of Reaching Critical Will’s attempt to highlight the impact of weapons on women and the importance of strengthening a gender perspective in disarmament and arms control in order to ensure inclusive security and prevent all human suffering.

The widespread availability of weapons has been a main concern for the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) since its origin in 1915.

Through its disarmament programme Reaching Critical Will (RCW), WILPF has, since 2006, actively been working towards a strong international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) with an extra focus on prohibiting a weapons transfer when there is a risk for them to be used to conduct gender based violence.

And on 2 April 2013 the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted an ATT which prohibits the sale of arms if there is a risk that the weapons could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian or human rights law.

The treaty was the first ever treaty that recognised the link between gender-based violence and the international arms trade adopted with the result 154-3-23 (yes-no-abstain).

This new report briefly describes explosive weapons and the legal tools available to assess their use, focusing in particular on legal documents that support greater inclusion of gender analysis and women’s participation.

The second part gives an overview on how explosive weapons specifically affect women and why a gendered analysis of the impact of explosive weapons use in populated areas is needed.

To download the full report, click here.