SVETLANA DJURDJEVIC-LUKIC PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH CENTRE SMALL ARMS AND HUMAN SECURITY IN THE WESTERN BALKANS: Beyond the conflict and fatal victims

OVERVIEW Scope: BH, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo – NGO partners Confluence of factors in the 1990s and nowadays Possession of small arms and high school students Dialogical approach: Tuzla, Bijeljina, Brcko Def: SALW – carried and used by one or two people: handguns, assault rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, ammunition, land-mines, explosives Engenders a culture of violence Undermines the rule of law Threatens reconciliation

SALW CONTEXT HUMAN COSTS of small arms availability & misuse: Conflict-related violence : deaths and injuries arising from inter-state and civil wars, collective political violence and civil unrests Non-conflict: homicide & victimization from criminal, gang & domestic disp Long-life; Low maintenance; Relatively cheap and easily available; Highly portable and so easily concealable INVOLVES: Security structures: state/non state, related professions Hunting, sport, trophy/ tradition Personal protection Crime related behavior

CONFLUENCE OF FACTORS 1990s Changed geopolitical/security environment Globalization – fragmentation, ‘new wars’ Economic factors Geographical – transit route Unresolved conflicts/status issues, orgcrime networks, cultural encouragement of violence, with influx of economic factors, issues related to community cohesiveness, structure of security forces, quality of the judicial system, status of border area (2002) Sources of illegal weapons – according to the international and national laws

LIMITS OF INTERVENTIONS Post-conflict DDR – an element of peace treaties UN and OSCE documents Stability Pact for SEE SEE Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, UNDP (seesac.org) EU involvement: National Strategies, Action Plans Current activities: BH, Serbia, Montenegro Context specific; not linear progress, regressions; perceptions Surveys in BH & Kosovo ( ;Saferworld, UNICEF, UNDP)

MANIFESTATIONS OF MISUSE oruzjenameti.org – 466 news & opinions, traditional and organized crime activities trans-border movement criminal armed groups vs security forces discovery of cashes of weapons and explosive from old or recent wars storage leaking armed attacks on law enforcement officials security structures involvement in weapons misuse ranging from cultural i.e. celebratory gunfire, to intimidation of colleagues or civilians, up to killing civilians in lieu with financial gains corruption of police officers such as returning weapons to criminals, or jeopardizing lives by inactivity – not revoking firearms licenses

SPACES & LOCATIONS urban and rural areas private, professional and public space affected: private apartments; office space, school yard, in front of a kindergarten, behind a church, in parks, parking lots, train, traffic related incidents gym, restaurants, shopping malls… Space of insecurity: school FGDs in BH, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia by partners Space of insecurity: community dialogues Bijeljina, Tuzla, Brcko

SMALL ARMS AND YOUTH BH mini case-study School-related violence Local perceptions about the environment of ‘unfinished peace’ & ‘unfinished state’ Blurring lines between illegal and legal, legitimate and illegitimate, victims and perpetrators in relation to illegal arms possession. Considered legitimate although it demonstrates either economic power or a person’s role in the wars. Another form of illegal possession, more covert, even literary buried deeply, which is put in longer historical perspective and based on ethnic grievances i.e. community of co-ethnics preparedness

SMALL ARMS – HUMAN SECURITY CROSS CUTTING Insecure individuals and communities : Luck of trust in the government /security structures Divided communities Crime GBV Rule of law enforcement problematic Key points: Interlinked factors behind proliferation of SALW still present Progress not necessary linear; micro location, political& economic situation There is no gun free areas and spaces Reinforcement of social, economic and legal inequalities in the community Between the lines: unfinished peace and unfinished state esp. BH

THE CASE OF SMALL ARMS THANK YOU!