New data recently released by Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) shows that civilian casualties from explosive weapons have gone up for a third consecutive year.
“A mortar hit my living room without warning, injuring my young kids,” a father-of-two, told to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in Eastern Afghanistan. “My boy died on the way to the hospital. My daughter’s arm is still bad, but she’ll survive.”
This is just an example of how civilians continue to bear the burden of explosive violence. This must stop.
THE NUMBER OF CIVILIAN CASUALTIES CONTINUES TO RISE
In 2014, 41,847 people were killed or injured by explosive weapons – of these 78% were civilians. According to the study, noncombatants are the most at risk from explosive weapons when they are used in populated areas. Here they made 92% of casualties.
“We want states to recognise the pattern of harm that the most dangerous explosive weapons have when used in populated areas, and to act to control and limit it. Militaries will find alternative approaches that achieve their goals without causing the same level of severe suffering to civilians,” lead researcher Robert Perkins told Clapway.
Iain Overton, Director of Investigations at AOAV, asked: “how many more will have to die before states agree to end the use of explosive weapons in populated areas?”
The data captured in the report “Explosive States” reveals that Iraq, Syria, Gaza, Nigeria and Pakistan were the worst places to be a civilian in 2014.
THIS IS A GLOBAL PROBLEM
Every day in 2014 there was an average of 90 civilian casualties, including 29 who died daily at the hands of explosive weapons. They were killed and wounded as they “slept, shopped, worshipped or travelled” in almost 60 countries worldwide- places as diverse as Ukraine, the Central African Republic and India.
The report shows that when explosive weapons are used in populated areas, they tremendously elevate the threat level to civilians. Bystanders are caught in open warfare and locals find themselves unable to feel safe even in their own homes.
SO, WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?
Although many of the explosive violence incidents recorded by AOAV in 2014 went unclaimed, state forces have caused far more civilian casualties through their use of explosive weapons this year compared to the data collected in the past. In fact, the number almost tripled in 2014 and is almost as high as the non-state actors, which caused 9,223 casualties, of whom 80% were civilians.
Lead researcher Robert Perkins, said that the state killed and injured civilians far too often for it to be portrayed “as unavoidable, isolated mistakes.”
Yet, since AOAV began comparing data in 2011, governments have started to change their position.
“More than 40 governments have spoken out against the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and a group of states is working now to develop an international commitment on the issue. There are examples out there, like NATO’s use of air strikes in Afghanistan, which show progressive new policies, which, in this case, resulted in a big drop-off in civilian deaths and injuries,” Perkins told Clapway.
“Many other governments are slow to respond to the call of the UN, the ICRC, and their fellow states. State use [of explosive weapons] in Gaza, Ukraine and Iraq last year, for example, shows that for some governments, the rules that control how these weapons are used are just too loose. They give too much leeway to the commander on the ground and not enough protection to civilians. That has to change, and hopefully the next few years will see progress to that end.”
Warfare, in urban settings in particular, presents challenges that need to be addressed. Addressing these challenges is the only way to prevent the already increasing number of civilian casualties from rising next year, too.
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Civilian Casualties Worsen; Being a Civilian Has Never Been so Dangerous
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