March 8, 2022.
This publication is a collaboration between the UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific and IANSA that focuses on gender-responsive small arms control in Asia and the Pacific.
Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, health and socio-economic impacts have become a global reality. As COVID-19 mitigation plans have taken precedent, armed violence and human rights violations continued to rise. Particularly, the impact of the health crisis coupled with structural gender norms and inequalities led to a surge of gender-based violence (GBV). In this context, the presence of small arms and light weapons (SALW) remains a huge threat. This paper provides an overview of the linkages between GBV and the proliferation and misuse of SALW in Asia-Pacific, and discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these issues. It concludes by setting out ways to reinvigorate efforts to enhance gender-responsive small arms control in the region, in turn promoting more effective and equitable policy initiatives that can withstand evolving security and health challenges.