Headlines:
| UN groups want gov’t to increase efforts to stop illegal guns |
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| Sunday, 08 June 2008 | |
UNICEF and the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) are calling for increased effort by all stakeholders to stem the illegal
flow and use of small arms in Jamaica.The UN bodies said gun control, combined with long-term social interventions are critical to curb the armed violence that has enveloped the country. The appeal from the UN bodies came at the end of the Global Week of Action against Gun Violence, and as Jamaica confronts what has been reported as one of the bloodiest periods of gang, and gun-related homicides in the nation's history. UNDP and UNICEF expressed deep concern for the effect of the spiraling murder rate on children and their communities, and ultimately the country's economic development. The agencies said small arms, which include machine guns, shotguns, assault rifles and other deadly firearms, are the dominant weapons used in the violence sweeping the island. They noted that while measures to remove the illegal guns from communities are necessary, their illegal trade needs to be urgently controlled. The UNDP and UNICEF stressed that as a signatory to the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons, Jamaica is obligated to implement measures to control and eradicate armed violence. The UN agencies commended the Government for the steps it had already taken to address the illicit trade in firearms. They pledged their support to the Jamaican Government in devising and implementing sustainable measures for small arms reduction and control. |