Citation(s) from the GunPolicy.org literature library
LeBrun, Emile and Robert Muggah (eds). 2005 ‘The Weapons-free Villages Campaign.’ Silencing Guns: Local Perspectives on Small Arms and Armed Violence in Rural Pacific Island Communities; Occasional Paper No. 15 (Box 6), p. 30. Geneva: Small Arms Survey, the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva. 1 June
Relevant contents
The Weapons-free Villages Campaign
A recent assessment of the WFV campaign by the Small Arms Survey found that it was an effective mechanism for rebuilding communities; however, on its own, it appears to have had little impact as a disarmament mechanism.
In the early days, the campaign was run in conjunction with the IPMT, a team of international monitors. Without this international influence, it is unlikely that the PMC would have achieved much success in weapons surrender.
The mere fact that over 3,700 weapons and over 300,000 rounds of ammunition remained in communities between the end of the second amnesty and the start of the most recent one indicates that the WFV campaign was not an effective mechanism for disarmament.
However, the assessment found that the programme was a significant confidence booster and that in conjunction with a strong deterring influence - such as appears to be provided by RAMSI - the programme can achieve its goals of helping to make villages gun free.
(Source: Nelson and Muggah, 2004)
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