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Haiti - Security : The Parliament indifferent to the proliferation of illegal weapons
07/07/2014 10:40:48
While officials in the Executive announced plans to combat crime, the international treaty on the arms trade, adopted April 2, 2013 by the General Assembly of the United Nations, signed March 21, 2014 by the Haitian government, who also participated in its realization, has no force of law because it has not yet been ratified by Parliament. Recall that in 2005, a study by a European NGO, had estimated that more than 200,000 handguns circulated freely in Haiti...
In a letter addressed to Parliament recently, the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace (JILAP) calls the parliament to vote on the international treaty on the arms trade, in order to help prevent the proliferation of illegal firearms "the ratification of this treaty will allow the country to give as an obligation to go further in the fight against crime, illegal weapons and illicit trade in arms and ammunition [...] once ratified, the treaty will be elevated to law and become beneficial for Peacebuilding in Haiti [...] This is an opportunity for Parliament to express the need for a real disarmament of illegal weapons and commit to establish mechanisms to monitor arms trafficking."
However, in its letter the Episcopal Commission deplores "a lack of political will to address the issue of small arms and to ensure the safety of the population."
HL/ HaitiLibre
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