Impact on children of illicit trafficking of small arms, landmines and unexploded ordnance

Most conflicts today are fought with small arms and light weapons. Their easy availability is directly linked to the dramatic rise in violence, the exacerbation of conflicts and the phenomenon of child soldiers. This is evident in the conflicts in Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone where illicit trade in small arms and light weapons is financed by the proceeds from the illicit exploitation of natural resources. The trans-regional dimension of illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons has exacerbated the conflicts in the Great Lakes region. Data has been collected by United Nations agencies that connect trafficking in small arms to trafficking in children and women in southeast Asia, in particular in the border areas of Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Myanmar.

The proliferation of small arms and light weapons not only impedes provision of humanitarian and protection assistance but also undermines peace-building and reconstruction efforts that aim to strengthen security and the rule of law in conflict and post-conflict situations, such as in Afghanistan, Iraq and Central America. To minimize the disastrous effects of small arms and light weapons on children requires coordination at all levels, as set out in the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. Examples of regional efforts to address the issue of small arms and light weapons and their impact on children include the Southern African Development Community Protocol on the Control of Firearms, Ammunition and Other Related Materials, the OSCE Handbook of Best Practices on Small Arms and Light Weapons, and the Andean Plan to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.

According to the United Nations Mine Action Service, approximately half of the 15,000 to 20,000 annual victims of landmines and unexploded ordnances in 90 countries are children. In Colombia, about 40 per cent of mine victims from 1990 to 2003 were children. So far in 2003, in northern Iraq, the casualty rate due to mines or unexploded ordnances has increased dramatically, by 90 per cent. Children in Iraq have also fallen victims to unexploded ordnances and munitions abandoned by Iraqi forces in schools and residential areas. In addition, cluster bombs indiscriminately impact and debilitate civilians, in particular children. Landmines and unexploded ordnances impede post-conflict development and reconstruction, blocking access to land and other resources and posing risks to returnee and internally displaced children. Mine risk education and securing stockpiled munitions remain the most effective short-term solution to keeping children safe.