The uncontrolled weapons trade is a threat resulting in bringing weapons into hands of dictators, violators of human rights and criminals. Spread and misuse of arms has reached its critical point. This practice contributes to the violation of human rights, the impoverishment of the population and various conflicts. Every minute one person is killed and many people are injured or subjected to tyranny during fighting in the world. There are many loopholes in the national mechanisms that involve the control over arms exports.
Availability of arms increases the number of acts of violence involving weapons, provokes conflicts and prolongs fighting during wars. As a rule, the civilian population is affected in the first place.
Armed conflicts and crimes are the main obstacles for those trying to deliver humanitarian aid to desperately needy people. In these regions health and education systems cease to operate quite often as well.
The events of September 11, 2001 gave new impetus to the spread of weapons, rather than to direct the political will to curb this process. As a result, arms exports grew significantly. This is especially true for the US and the UK, which supply arms to the newfound allies (such as Pakistan, Indonesia and the Philippines). They ignore situation with the human rights and the possible consequences.
It is obviouse that weapons in the wrong hands can destroy hundreds of thousands of people. Uncontrollably supplied weapons are used throughout the world to commit terrible crimes, such as murders, rapes, tortures and forcible displacements of populations.
We have no time to lose – at the very moment when an armed attack kills a person, 15 new units of arms for sale are produced in the world. Arms trade is out of control nowadays and there is an urgent need to take action and curb it as soon as possible.