Countering the illicit trade in small arms lends itself to regional action. In many countries, small arms circulate widely beyond state control. National governments are challenged by cross-border demand for weapons, lucrative markets for traffickers, and ineffective national laws to regulate brokering and trafficking of small arms across state lines. These problems all call for regional approaches.

The marking of small arms is a necessary component of record-keeping, linking a specific small arm to a unique record for that item. A robust record-keeping system provides the means to trace small arms and investigate the illicit trade, thus helping to limit the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons. 

Jamaica’s murder rate—62 per 100,000 in 2009— is one of the highest in the world.

The small island grapples with violent crime within a context of gangs, guns, and allegations of political and police corruption.

Disponible en: FRANCAIS

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Available in: ENGLISH

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Executive Summary also available

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Also available in Spanish

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For more than a decade the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), in defiance of UN sanctions, has found ways to systematically smuggle arms and other illicit goods in and out of the country. This Briefing Paper from the Small Arms Survey provides a detailed overview of how the DPRK evades sanctions by employing its diplomatic resources and exploiting key loopholes relating to transport, logistics, and proliferation finance.