11 Women begin training to become agents for change on Small Arms Awareness

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22 Dec 2015

11 Women begin training to become agents for change on Small Arms Awareness

From 14-16 December, UNMAS held the first of three trainings for 11 women on raising awareness of the risks associated with small arms and ammunition. The three-day workshop saw women from a variety of areas in Libya come together and share stories on the danger of weapons in the house and offer perspectives on the behavior, perceptions and specific risks of small arms in Libya. UNMAS partnered with Geneva based organisations United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and Small Arms Survey to deliver and support this workshop.

The workshop introduced the role that women can play in peace and security, founded in the historic Security Council Resolution 1325, and strengthened by other international documents, such as the Arms Trade Treaty. The participants were subsequently introduced to the topic of small arms and light weapons, and the role that they play both globally and in Libya, in safety, conflict, instability, accidents and incidents. The women have been extremely engaged in this topic and training. One participant stated that she ‘learned much about the risks of small arms and light weapons, and controls needed when they are stored in or near the house’ and that she ‘now understands the international instruments and how to apply them in a Libyan and gender focused context’.

These women will return to Libya between workshop one and two and reach out to their communities regarding the specific threats and level of risk awareness in their communities. This information will help inform the messages, materials and mode of implementation they will be trained in during workshop two in January.
UNMAS would like to extend its extreme gratitude to the Government of Italy, for funding for this project and supporting this novel initiative to support women and their ability to enhance and build peace, security and community reliance.