demand a bullet-proof treaty
Did you know there’s more regulation on the global trade of bananas and bottled water than guns and bullets? You might think this sounds like a B-grade movie plot, but sadly, it’s not! EVERY minute, one person is killed by armed violence fuelled by an unregulated arms trade. This deadly trade puts WEAPONS in the hands of tens of thousands of child soldiers, and forces millions to flee their homes.
This violence can happen because countries including the US, Russia, UK and France have been exporting guns, bombs and other weapons for years, with very little regulation about who they can sell to or how. Right now however, we’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change this, and keep the world’s weapons out of the wrong hands.
In July, all 193 UN member countries meet in New York to debate the adoption of a global Arms Trade Treaty. Our job is to convince as many governments as possible to agree to a strong treaty that keeps weapons away from dictators and human rights abusers.
If UN member states support a strong Arms Trade Treaty, millions of LIVES could be SAVED around the world. Let’s make sure we don’t end up with a weak treaty that’s nothing more than a piece of paper.
Thousands of people are adding their signatures to Amnesty International’s global petition every day, calling for an Arms Trade Treaty with strong human rights protection. Our Intrepid team just signed – will you join us?
It only takes a minute:
Australia: amnesty.org.au
New Zealand: amnesty.org.nz
United Kingdom: amnesty.org.uk
Canada: amnesty.ca
USA: amnestyusa.org
Europe: amnesty.org
Photo: Former child soldier at a demobilisation centre © Amnesty International
