Light, portable weapons designed for 1 or 2 people to operate are officially called “small arms and light weapons” (SA/LW). The dominant weaponry in 94% of major armed conflicts since 1990, they’ve helped kill an estimated 2 million children in wars and displaced more than 22 million from their homes. In a world where civilians are purposefully targeted during war, small arms offer human rights abusers a deadly tool for terror.

600 million automatic rifles, grenades and rocket launchers are in circulation throughout the world. In Africa, the AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle can be bought for US $6, a sack of grain, or a chicken, according to UN researchers.  These small, lethal weapons are the chief tools for human rights abusers around the world, from the genocide in Darfur to the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Case study: Mozambique

In countries that experienced long and bloody struggles for independence, the gun became a symbol of the struggle against Western colonial rule. In Mozambique, the AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle is depicted at the center of the national flag.  But often following wars for independence, civil wars ravage fledgling nations. The 1964-1974 anti-colonial war was followed by an even bloodier civil war from 1976-1992. The infrastructure of the country was destroyed, including a third of all heath clinics and half the schools.  The fields and roads were strewn with landmines. The nation had become the poorest in the world. 70% of the Mozambican debt was due to the import of weapons.

Mozambique’s people, especially children, suffered the psychological scars of the long wars. Children were heavily exploited by warring factions since even a child can operate a gun or throw a grenade. When long conflicts take their toll on adult populations, rebel groups and even governments turn to children to perpetrate war. A fighter who was forcibly recruited at age 10 said that children are preferred because “they don’t complain and they follow directions.”

Learn about solutions to the arms crisis.