UNITED NATIONS, April 2 (Xinhua) -- UNICEF on Tuesday welcomed the adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty by the United Nations General Assembly as a crucial step toward protecting children by regulating the transfer of weapons from one country to another.
The lack of any consistent global oversight of the arms trade has allowed weapons to be misused on a mass scale, resulting in the widespread killing and maiming of civilians, UNICEF said in a press release issued here.
"The fact that the treaty makes specific reference to children and women is especially heartening," said Susan Bissell, UNICEF's chief of child protection in New York.
The 193-nation General Assembly has approved a global arms trade treaty that failed to achieve unanimous support last week but which garnered the support of a majority of member states when put to a vote on Tuesday. The treaty regulates the multi-billion-U. S. dollar international arms trade.
"The Arms Trade Treaty asks States to explicitly consider the risk that an arms transfer could facilitate serious acts of violence against women and children before allowing it to proceed, " she said. "This is critical given that weapons are now one of the leading causes of death of children and adolescents in many countries, including many that are not experiencing war."
Armed violence, the UN reported, kills more than half a million people each year, including 66,000 women and girls.
In addition, between 2000 and 2010, almost 800 humanitarian workers were killed in armed attacks and another 689 injured, according to the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs.
Armed violence and individual and group experiences of it differ greatly according to age and gender. Often, children are not only victims and witnesses of armed violence, but they may also be turned into perpetrators of arms-related violence.
Children endure both the direct impact and the indirect consequences of injuries to themselves or family members, including displacement, poverty and reduced access to education and healthcare.
"The challenge now will be making the treaty work," said Bissell. "This is the very first attempt to regulate a massive industry with global reach, yet with an impact down to the smallest communities. Thanks to the leadership of governments and the intensive involvement of civil society and the UN family we have an arms trade treaty at last."
After its adoption by the General Assembly, the treaty needs to be signed and ratified by at least 50 countries to enter into force.
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