CONTACT Action on Armed Violence COUNTING THE COST 5th Floor, Epworth House 25 City Road Casualty recording practices and realities around the world TLondon EC1Y 1AA ( ) F +44 0 20 7256 9500 ( ) E +44 0 20 7256 9311 [email protected] www.aoav.org.uk Contents Armed violence is a global problem affecting millions of people every year. Deaths and injuries, whether they are due to conflict, interpersonal violence, clashes between rival organised groups or religiously motivated attacks, are the human testimony to the scourge of armed violence. Foreword 1 The Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development estimates that in 2011, 526,000 people lost their lives due to armed violence, 390,000 of them were because of intentional homicides. Only 10% Infographic 3 of these occurred in conflict. Cleary, violence is a problem that affects people in many areas beyond conflict zones. In addition to the human loss and suffering, negative consequences of armed violence Overview 5 affect entire communities and states, undermining social and economic development. Methodology 9 The United Nations General Assembly Report A/64/228 of 2009 considers insecurity, along with poverty,economic crises and climate change, to be a critical challenge to the goal of humanitarian pro- Terminology 10 tection, poverty reduction, and development. Damage to infrastructure and properties, limited delivery of public services, undermined investment in human, social and economic capital, and high expenditures Challenges 12 on security services are just a few consequences of this problem. Governments, civil society and international organisations are increasing their efforts to address the Benefits 20 problem of armed violence through the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development, the Oslo Commitments on Armed Violence, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Case studies 30 (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC), and the UN General Assembly, amongst others. Conclusion 40 Casualty recording can offer relevant, accurate and reliable data that in turn can inform how governments and civil society, among others, actually tackle the problems of armed violence. But in order for these Recommendations 41 actors to act truly effectively, it is also clear that more evidence is needed to show how casualty recording can contribute to reducing armed violence worldwide. This is the objective of this report. Notes 43 Report by Mirko Miceli and Serena Olgiati With contributions and research by Gabriela Gutierrez, Jorge Restrepo, Julia Knittel and Serena Olgiati Editor Iain Overton With thanks to Elizabeth Minor and Jacob Beswick (Oxford Research Group); Gabriela Gutierrez and Jorge Restrepo (Centro de Recursos para el Análisis de Conflictos); Eileen Ipulan-Bautista, Ariel Hernandez and Charlito Z. Manlupig (Balay Mindanaw Foundation Inc.); Jasmin Nario Galace (Center for Peace Education, Miriam College); Srisompob Jitpiromsri (Deep South Watch); Natacha Cornaz (Geneva Declaration Secretariat); Cate Buchanan (Surviving Gun Violence Project); Nerina Čevra, Jacob Parakilas and Robert Perkins (AOAV), and all who agreed to talk to us about their casualty recording practices. We hope that their views are properly reflected in this report. Copyright © Action on Armed Violence (March 2014) Cover illustration Members of the Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE) participate in a mission in the alleys of a slum in the area of Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on December 7, 2009. Spencer Platt/Getty Images News/Thinkstock. Infographic Sarah Leo Clarifications or corrections from interested parties are welcome. Research and publication funded by the Government of Norway, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Design and printing Tutaev Design 1 | ACTION ON ARMED VIOLENCE COUNTING THE COST: CASUALTY RECORDING PRACTICES AND REALITIES | 2 Foreword IAIN OVERTON Of course, there is a distance between ideals and record civilian casualties as part of broader efforts to Director of Policy and Investigations, realities. The practice of casualty recording, despite monitor and report on violations of international hu- Action on Armed Violence quite clear demands under international law for it to manitarian and human rights law, drawing on good be implemented in conflict situations, is far from uni- practice and expertise from within the United Nations, “There is a painting by Klee called Angelus Novus. It versal. It is, and often has been, subject to political Member States and civil society5”. shows an angel who seems about to move away from abuse. But more and more states, civil society and something he stares at. His eyes are wide, his mouth the international community as a whole appreciate Of course, there are still growing pains. And to this is open, his wings are spread. This is how the angel of the relevance of recording deaths and injuries from end, AOAV has produced this report designed at help- history must look. His face is turned toward the past. armed violence. African Union peacekeepers in So- ing states and organisations realise the ideal. We ex- Where a chain of events appears before us, he sees on malia, for instance, have recognised the importance amine the benefits and challenges of casualty record- single catastrophe, which keeps piling wreckage upon of their own comprehensive data on civilian casualties ing practices taking into account examples from differ- wreckage and hurls it at his feet. The angel would like and so have decided to set up their own civilian track- ent countries. to stay, awaken the dead, and make whole what has ing mechanisms. Whilst casualty recording and casu- been smashed. But a storm is blowing from Paradise alty tracking differ in certain aspects, they both True, nobody can restore what has been lost through and has got caught in his wings; it is so strong that the address the fundamental advantages of counting violence. But counting the cost of this violence at least angel can no longer close them. This storm drives him casualties of violence. gives us a glimpse of what Walter Benjamin calls ‘the irresistibly into the future to which his back is turned, pile of debris’, and that glimpse helps understand the while the pile of debris before him grows toward the Perhaps it is even fair to say that casualty recording true impact of violence. And it provides an incontest- sky. What we call progress is this storm1”. might be coming of age. The latest UN Secretary able argument for society to respond. General Report on the Protection of Civilians in armed The philosopher Walter Benjamin wrote these words conflict reflects this by recommending that “United in 1940 as he saw Europe engulf in flames. Within the Nations actors should work together to establish a year he had taken his own life on the French-Spanish common United Nations system to systematically border, the threat of deportation to a Jewish concen- tration camp seemingly too great for him to bear. They are words that resonate as much today as they did then. Syria is engulfed in flames, Iraq descends back into the abyss and gun violence takes thousands gun control there. The recording of over 3,000 people of lives a week. The single catastrophe the Angelus dead in Pakistan following drone attacks3 has trig- Novus sees in the 21st century has to be the terrible gered a United Nations investigation into the use of harm caused by armed violence, a harm estimated to drones and a consequent call on states to launch in- take over half a million lives a year.2 quiries into drone attacks that kill civilians.4 Witness- ing the impact of armed violence has consequences. Seeing this harm in its entirety is a gruelling task. Re- cording the true toll of armed violence reveals hard This report lays out the importance of counting the truths: it tells of underlying prejudices, of racism, of true cost of armed violence. It focuses mainly on state sexism: humanity’s ugliness. But only by turning be- practices but also looks at some efforts by civil society. hind us and calculating how many people have died AOAV has collaborated with the ever-vigilant Oxford and have been injured in a conflict, in a slum area, in Research Group who are working on a parallel report a city in the grip of violence, can we ever begin to looking at how the United Nations helps count the address the impact that armed violence has. mounting dead. Counting the cost of armed violence holds a mirror Action on Armed Violence is a proud member of the up to any society and allows both its citizens and the Every Casualty Campaign and we echo that cam- wider international community to ask themselves: is paign’s call here, because it is an ideal that should not this the world we want to live in? To this end, the fact be forgotten: we ask states to promptly record, cor- that over 30,000 people die every year in the United rectly identify and publicly acknowledge casualties of States from gun violence has framed the debate on armed violence, wherever and whenever this happens. THE HUMAN TOLLOLLT OF ARMED VIOLENCE COUNTINGCOUNTINGOUNTING THE COSTTOSC T 711,216 CASUALTYTYALASUC TYY RECORDINGRECORDING PRAPRACTICESCTICES AND REALITIES AROUND THE WORLDWORLDTHE VIOLENT DEATHSDEAATHSTHS BETWEEN 24,763 220,000220 0000 1985 AND MARCH 2014 VIOLENT DEATHSDEAATHSTHS VIOLENT DEATHSDEAATHSTHS IN 2013 BETWEEN 1997 AND 2003 CONFLICTONFLICC CCTT & ARMED VIOLENCE COLOMBIA VENEZUELA MEXICO +37%+3 % HOMICIDESHOOMICIDES SINCESININCE 2007 33.2 HOMICIDESDICIMOH ES PER 100,000 IN 2011 23.7 HOMICIDESSEDICIMOH PER 100,000 IN 2011 79 HOMICIDESSEDICIMOH