Vienna, 8 March 2021 - Women around the globe are a key element in the fight against organised crime and illicit firearms trafficking. However, women remain under-represented in criminal justice systems including in policy making processes. UNODC’s Global Firearms Programme works to promote the increasing participation and representation of women at all levels of decision-making process in its efforts to fight organised crime and firearms trafficking.
Through policy advice and mentoring, the Global Firearms Programme promotes the equal representation of women in criminal justice institutions, particularly in positions of authority. The equal representation of women plays a crucial role in ensuring an effective criminal justice system that can provide access to justice for all. The role of women as criminal justice professionals is also crucial to challenge discriminatory criminal laws and procedures, gender bias, stereotyping, stigma and impunity. Further, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security also reaffirms the important role of women in prevention and resolution of conflicts, and stresses the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security, and the need to increase their role in decision-making.
Out of all the victims of homicide recorded by UNODC in 2017 in which an intimate partner was implicated, 82% were women, underlining the disproportionate impact of domestic violence on women and girls. The UNODC Global Homicide Study 2019 revealed that more than half of the gender-related killings of women and girls are perpetrated by intimate partners or other family members, which makes their own homes the most dangerous place for them. According to the study, when considering homicides of intimate partners and family members, men were more likely than women to use a firearm when killing their female partners. Nevertheless, data on gun use is limited for most forms of gender-based violence other than homicide, since for every woman killed or exposed to physical violence involving firearms, there are many more women who face intimidation at gunpoint, a type of violence that is difficult to record or measure. Moreover, in contexts where insecurity is widespread, and in particular when the danger of sexual violence is rampant, firearms represent a constant threat to women.
As we celebrate the 2021 International Women's Day, UNODC Global Firearms Programme reminds UN Secretary General António Guterres’s remarks, that “not until the half of our population represented by women and girls can live free from fear, violence and everyday insecurity, can we truly say we live in a fair and equal world.”
