UNLIREC organized a webinar on the use of firearms in acts of violence against women with the participation of different government sectors and civil society in Trinidad and Tobago.
On 5 May 2022, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Ministry of National Security, hosted the webinar “Measures to prevent armed violence against women” in Trinidad and Tobago, in which the police presented initiatives aiming to prevent domestic violence, highlighting that they must be gender and age specific. The webinar aimed to raise awareness of the necessity of firearms control for efforts seeking to prevent and eliminate violence against women.
During the webinar, challenges in identifying and measuring femicides were emphasized, especially in countries such as Trinidad and Tobago where a definition of this crime has not yet been integrated into the criminal code. The importance of collecting data on the use of firearms in cases of psychological, physical and sexual violence against women was also highlighted.
The webinar gathered more than 100 participants from different sectors of the Government, civil society organizations and the general public, who actively participated and were particularly interested in the police response to prevent and respond to domestic violence cases, involving the use of firearms.
It should be noted that the Latin American and Caribbean region presents alarming figures of gender-based intentional homicides of women and girls, also known as femicides. Likewise, according to the Observatory on Gender Equality in Latin America and the Caribbean of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Trinidad and Tobago has a rate of 3,1 femicides per 100,000 inhabitants which is one of the highest rates in the Caribbean region. Thus, UNLIREC carries out activities that aim to counteract this trend.
On 3 May 2022, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) in collaboration with the Ministry of National Security hosted a webinar on “Measures to prevent armed violence against women”, which gathered close to 50 participants from different sectors of the Government and other organisations.
One of the main objectives of the event was to highlight the necessity of firearms control in efforts seeking to prevent and eliminate violence against women, considering that the Latin American and Caribbean region presents alarming figures of gender based intentional homicides of women and girls. According to the Observatory on Gender Equality in Latin America and the Caribbean of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), from 2019 to 2020, at least 4,091 femicides, or an equivalent of 11 crimes per day, were committed in 26 countries in the region while Jamaica reported a rate of 0,5 femicide per 100,000 inhabitants.
In this regard, the underlying challenges in identifying and measuring femicides were emphasized, especially in Jamaica, where a clear legal definition has not yet been integrated in the criminal code. The importance of measuring the collecting data on the use of firearms in cases of psychological, physical and sexual violence against women was also highlighted.
The main findings and recommendations of the “Normative study: making the link between norms on violence against women and small arms control and regulation norms: Analysis of CARICOM States” were presented. One of the recommendations made is the need to suspend and revoke firearms licenses in cases of gender-based violence, as well as seizing these weapons when they represent a danger for women. Likewise, the importance of ensuring the suitability of an applicant to a firearms license was highlighted, which should not be solely based on the lack of a criminal record, but also involve carrying out a risk profiling of the candidate.
The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) presented their responses to domestic violence, including its most recent policy on the procedural approach taken by JCF members on domestic violence cases.
To complete the overview of national measures taken by the Government of Jamaica to prevent armed violence against women, the Bureau of Gender Affairs of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports presented the National Strategic Action Plan to Eliminate Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Jamaica (2017-2027), as well as recent legislative updates and other initiatives which seek to prevent GBV.
From the 25 April to 6 May 2022, the United Nations Regions Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in coordination with the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Women, carried out the Specialised Course on Firearms Investigations from a Gender Perspective (FIGP).
This course, in addition to sensitising participants on the importance of applying gender perspectives in firearms-related criminal investigations, aims at strengthening their technical knowledge applicable to the scientific method of criminal investigation, as well as inter-institutional cooperation in these areas.
Twenty-nine (29) officials from different institutions such as the Judiciary, the Attorney General’s office, the National Police and the Ministry of Women were trained.
The training course took place virtually and comprised both synchronous and asynchronous sessions. The FIGP addressed theoretical and technical aspects of criminal investigations and the way in which applying gender perspectives, contributes to conclusions free from stereotypes. Case studies were carried out to shed light on the absence of gender approaches and how it negatively affects the rights of victims and their families.
During the training, attention was drawn to the use of firearms to commit different types of violence against women, such as threats, intimidations and coercion, among others. The importance of properly managing the crime scene and the collection of firearms and ammunition as evidence for the purpose of gender-sensitive criminal investigations was emphasised. Lastly, recommendations on gender-responsive procedures were shared and participants were urged to strengthen communication and cooperation among all actors involved in the different stages of the investigations, thus contributing to reduce the high level of impunity of violence against women.
On April 12, UNLIREC, together with the Ministry of Women of the Dominican Republic, held a virtual seminar on “Measures to prevent armed violence against women” in which more than 90 people from different sectors of government and civil society participated.
One of the main purposes of the event was to warn about the contribution of firearms control in the prevention of violence against women, taking into account that the region presents alarming figures of intentional gender-based homicides of women and girls. In 2019 there were 4,615 femicides in 18 countries in the region, representing 12 of these crimes per day. The Dominican Republic has 1 of the 5 highest femicide rates in the region (2.4 for every 100,000 women).
In this regard, emphasis was made on the challenges involved in measuring femicide, especially in countries where it is has not yet been criminalized in the penal code. The importance of measuring the use of firearms in psychological, physical and sexual violence against women, which can be collected at the time of reporting these acts, was also highlighted.
The webinar also served to share the main findings and recommendations of UNLIREC’s Normative Study: Making the link between norms on violence against women and small arms control and regulation norms. The importance of contemplating the suspension and revocation of firearms licences in cases of gender-based violence, as well as the seizure and confiscation of these weapons, since they represent a danger to women, were also noted. Likewise, it was highlighted how important it is to analyze the suitability of the applicant for a firearms license, not only based on the absence of a criminal record, but also on a risk profile of the candidate.
The Dominican Republic provided statistics on femicides and homicides committed against women in the country, results of the National Household Survey, the registry of complaints of violence against women, as well as the results of various studies of national scope that point to the prevalence of gender stereotypes and mandates that reproduce violence against women.
In this context, the Ministry of Women has presented the Strategic Plan “For a Life Free of Violence toward Women, Adolescents and Girls” which includes different strategic axes – prevention, care, punishment, reparation, legal framework and coordination – as well as the formation of an intersectoral cabinet chaired by the Ministry of Women and composed of different Ministries and state agencies: Interior, Defence, Health, Education, Youth, Labour, Economy, National Police, Attorney General’s Office, National Statistics Office.
In addition to the intersectoral approach, the inclusion of representatives of civil society organizations and universities is noteworthy.
The event concluded with the participation of the audience, who were interested in how to transfer this work at the educational level, especially in schools, work at the local level, legal assistance to women victims of violence, and on the next steps to follow.
The activity was made possible thanks to the support of the European Union within the framework of the project “Supporting gender mainstreamed policies, programmes and actions in the fight against small arms trafficking and misuse, in line with the Women, Peace and Security agenda”.
On Tuesday 1 March 2022, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Directorate of Security and Defence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru, held the webinar “Measures to prevent armed violence against women”.
There were 523 participants (62% women) from different public agencies with competencies in the subject matter: Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations, Ministry of the Interior, National Superintendence for the Control of Security Services, Arms, Ammunition and Explosives for Civilian Use (SUCAMEC), National Civil Police, Ministry of Defence, Public Prosecutor’s Office, among others.
The seminar began with a contextualization of the convergence of the Arms Control agenda with the Women, Peace and Security agenda – promoted by UN Security Council Resolution 1325 – and the importance of analysing the impacts of armed violence from a gender perspective in order to understand the effects on men and women. At this point, emphasis was placed on the incidence of firearms not only in femicides, but also on the different types of violence against women, whether physical, sexual and/or psychological.
It was emphasized that the presence of a firearm in a context of gender violence should be considered a risk factor, not only because of its lethality, but also because of its use to threaten and subdue the victims, increasing their vulnerability.
UNLIREC also presented the main findings of the Normative Study on Peru, which addresses the necessary linkage between gender-based violence regulations and small arms regulation and control standards. Good practices from other countries in the region and some recommendations for consideration at the national level were also shared.
The seminar included a presentation by an official from SUCAMEC, who provided a national perspective on the subject. Official statistics on firearms licenses by sex, the conditions for obtaining or renewing a firearms license, including the absence of family violence sentences, and SUCAMEC’s contribution to the enforcement of Law 30364 “Law to prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women and members of the family group” were shared. This, through the denial of gun permits of persons under protection measures issued by the justice system, as well as the denial of gun permits of aggressors, included in the Single Registry of Victims and Aggressors (RUVA) under the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The seminar also joined the efforts of the “Valentine’s Day Gun Free” campaign led by the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA). The campaign was carried out from February 14 to March 8. Under the slogan “Guns do not belong in relationships”, the campaign seeks to raise awareness of the risks of having a gun in the home, violence committed by intimate partners, and the need to promote more effective gun control laws to prevent violence against women, in this case, domestic or intra-family violence.
This webinar was made possible thanks to the support of the European Union through the global project: Support for gender mainstreaming in policies, programs and actions in the fight against trafficking and misuse of small arms, in line with the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
