The number of armed conflicts recorded this year is the highest since 1946, and global military spending has reached record highs. The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation has supported women’s rights organisations in conflict-affected regions for more than 30 years and our experience shows that the increase of weapons and the militarisation of societies has a devastating impact on women and girls.
There is now a need to remind decision-makers of the consequences of armed conflict, to put the issues of demilitarisation, enforcement of arms embargoes, gender-responsive arms control and strengthened accountability at the heart of the security agenda.
This brief focuses on one of the effects of increased militarisation—how small arms and light weapons (SALW) contribute to gender-based violence in emerging and active armed conflict, as well as post-conflict contexts. It highlights the continuum of violence across the different phases of conflict, and how destructive masculinity norms, militarisation, psychosocial stress and access to small arms fuels gender-based violence.
It shows that a failure to address the interlinkage between small arms and gender-based violence not only has deadly repercussions, but also has a negative impact on the sustainable development of peaceful and democratic societies.