Action on Armed Violence

Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) is a London-based charity, conducting research and advocacy on the incidence and impact of global armed violence.

Action on Armed Violence (AOAV)
TypeNon-profit NGO
FocusHuman rights, activism
HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
Productnonprofit human rights advocacy
Key people
Iain Overton
Websiteaoav.org.uk

Author Iain Overton is the Executive Director of the organisation.[1]

AOAV's research and advocacy work is focused on global armed violence, with a specialisation in explosive weapons.[2] One of the charity's core functions is its Explosive Violence Monitor.[3] This monitor has been cited by organisations such as Reuters,[4] The Guardian,[5] Al Jazeera,[2] Human Rights Watch,[6] and the United Nations.[7]

Conflict casualty data

In December 2020, AOAV's data was reported in The Guardian as showing that British soldiers were 12% more likely to have been killed than their American counterparts during the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a study of casualty figures. The research – intended as a lessons learned exercise – also concluded that UK forces were 26% more likely to have been killed by improvised explosives, validating longstanding complaints about the poorly armoured Snatch Land Rover.[8]

Recording civilian harm

In March 2019, AOAV was reported by the BBC as finding out that the RAF killed or injured 4,315 enemy fighters in Iraq and Syria between September 2014 and January 2019. The UK's Ministry of Defence had said only one civilian was killed in the airstrikes, according to figures released to the charity. Of those harmed, 4,013, or 93%, were killed, and 302, or 7%, were injured. Yet the MoD says only one civilian was killed in the airstrikes, raising concerns about how many civilians killed the MOD in the UK records.[9]

Monitoring the arms trade

In August 2016, The New York Times cited AOAV's research into 14 years’ worth of Pentagon contract information related to weapons supplied to American troops and for their partners and proxies. AOAV found the Pentagon provided more than 1.45 million firearms to various security forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, including more than 978,000 assault rifles, 266,000 pistols and almost 112,000 machine guns.[10]

In January 2021, The Guardian cited[11] AOAV's research on the UK government's approval of exports between January 2015 and June 2020 to countries listed by the Department for International Trade as 'subject to arms embargo, trade sanctions and other trade restrictions'.[12] AOAV found that Britain had approved exports of military items to 80% of the destinations on the list. AOAV also found that UK export licences for small arms and ammunition have been approved to 31 destinations on the embargoed and restricted list, including assault rifles, pistols, sniper rifles and shotguns. Many of these sent to areas that have recently suffered from violent conflicts or state oppression, including Kenya, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Togo, Oman, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Pakistan.[13]

References
  1. Jones, Murray (2020-10-07). "Sanitising War: How the UK Media Turned Its Back On Syria". Byline Times. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  2. Barbarani, Sofia. "US army data on civilian harm in war against ISIL questioned". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  3. "AOAV's Explosive Violence Monitor". AOAV. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  4. Saraogi, Varsha (2018-01-08). "Civilian deaths from explosives surge in 2017 - campaign group". Reuters (in French). Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  5. Norton-Taylor, Richard (2016-04-26). "Number of civilians killed or injured by explosives rises 50% in five years". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  6. "A Commitment to Civilians". Human Rights Watch. 2019-11-18. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  7. "Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) – UNODA". Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  8. "UK soldiers 12% more likely to die than US troops in 'war on terror'". Guardian. 2020-04-12. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  9. "RAF killed '4,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria'". BBC News. 2019-03-07. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  10. Chivers, C. J. (2016-08-24). "How Many Guns Did the U.S. Lose Track of in Iraq and Afghanistan? Hundreds of Thousands. (Published 2016)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  11. "UK sells arms to nearly 80% of countries under restrictions, says report". The Guardian. January 26, 2021.
  12. "Trade sanctions, arms embargoes, and other trade restrictions". gov.uk.
  13. "UK approves military exports to 80% of countries on own restricted list". January 26, 2021.
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