Casualty recorders play a crucial role in the field of humanitarian disarmament. Time and again their data has demonstrated the devastating and long-term human cost of armed conflict. They have revealed the impact of particular weapons and military strategies on specific segments of the population, including children, successfully leading to political change.
We recognise the importance of efforts to record and track civilian casualties, and the use of all
PREAMBLE: Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences arising from the use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas
practicable measures to ensure appropriate data collection… Improved data on civilian harm would help to inform policies designed to avoid, and in any event minimise, civilian harm
Casualty records proved the disproportionate impact of explosive weapons on civilians in populated areas, leading to the the successful adoption of an international Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences arising from the use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas.
Casualty data also helped drive the adoption of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction. Decades later, records of landmine casualties continue to inform support programmes for victims, and to monitor annual progress in implementation of the Convention.
Stolen Futures: the hidden toll of child casualties in Syria
This report uses casualty data from several CRN member organisations to analyse patterns in child fatalities in Syria. By disaggregating the data by age, gender, location and cause of death, it identifies the weapons and military strategies which are most harmful to children. It provides conclusive evidence that explosive weapons are by far the biggest killer of children in Syria.
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How the counts reduce the casualties
This report by Casualty Recorders Network member, AOAV, highlights various ways in which accurate records of deaths and injuries can help reduce armed violence. These include identifying the effects of specific weapons, exposing military tactics that result in high civilian casualty rates, focusing humanitarian aid on those areas most affected, and strengthening accountability measures to help prevent future violence. It also describes how casualty data helped lead to the adoption of international treaties to ban landmines and cluster munitions.
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