Impact of Guns on Womens Lives

Published by Amnesty International, IANSA, and Oxfam International, for the Control Arms campaign. Countless women and girls have been shot and killed or injured in every region of the world. Millions more live in fear of armed violence against women. Two key factors lie at the heart of these abuses: the proliferation and misuse of small arms and deep-rooted discrimination against women. Armed violence against women is not inevitable. In many countries women have become powerful forces for peace and human rights in their communities. Their actions show how real change can be effected and women's lives made safer. This report provides an overview of where two major international campaigns intersect: Control Arms and Stop Violence Against Women. It examines the impact on women of guns in the home, in communities, and during and after conflict. In each of these contexts, it looks at violence committed with guns against women, the role women play in gun use, and the campaigns women are spearheading against gun violence. Going beyond lobbying for better laws and better implementation of existing laws, it considers how campaigners need to work to change attitudes, arguing that looking at how the myths about men, women, and guns are constructed can reveal new ways to break cycles of violence.Amnesty International Staff is the author of 'Impact of Guns on Womens Lives ' with ISBN 9780862103682 and ISBN 0862103681.