This briefing paper from CRN member Action On Armed Violence (AOAV) examines how casualty recording information can help identify and address the harm to civilians caused by specific weapons and military tactics. This knowledge has been used successfully to restrict the use of certain weapons and to reduce civilian fatality rates.
How the Counts Reduce the Casualties shows how data on civilian victims has been pivotal in informing the international processes that ledto the banning of land mines and cluster munitions. The paper highlights four ways in which accurate records of deaths and injuries can help reduce armed violence, including: identifying the effects of specific weapons, exposing military tactics that result in disproportionately high civilian casualties, focusing scarce resources and humanitarian aid on those areas most affected, and strengthening accountability measures to help prevent future violence.
