About the platform

Why tracking firearms-related incidents in South East Europe matters?

The uncontrolled spread and misuse of firearms have a wide range of humanitarian and socio-economic consequences, posing a serious threat to citizens’ security and directly affecting the lives of civilian men, women, and children.

Civilians` lives are affected daily by the uncontrolled spread and misuse of firearms. Despite this trend, quality data on the impact of firearms on society remains scarce in the region. Little information is available on the numbers of victims as well as the circumstances and effects on armed violence survivors.

As part of its mandate to support the capacities of national stakeholders in reducing the negative effects of the misuse of firearms, SEESAC has initiated the collection of data to track the firearms-related incidents and established a Regional Armed Violence Monitoring Platform (AVMP). The data is collected mainly through media reports or official sources where these are available.

What is the AVMP?

The Armed Violence Monitoring Platform (AVMP) monitors firearms-related incidents happening in South East Europe. It gathers detailed data since 2014 from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. The data collected is mainly based on media reports and varies from type of incident, firearms used, the gender of the victim and perpetrator to geographic references of the incident. Basic data analysis is also provided for various data sets aiming to discover trends related to the incidents.

Where does the data come from?

Data is daily collected using local media clippings, online search engines and relevant firearms-related reports of public institutions where available. Quality Assurance is conducted rigorously by SEESAC to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in the platform.

How can the data be used?

The purpose of the AVMP is to make essential data available to all interested parties working on small arms and light weapons control. The AVMP can serve as an informative tool for interventions with the overarching goal of a more effective arms control framework and the reduction of their negative impact on civilians.

For a #SaferRegion

AVMP is a SEESAC product funded by the European Union within the framework of the EU Council Decision 2016/2356 and EU Council Decision 2019/2111.

 

* Reference to Kosovo shall be understood in the context of the Security Council resolution 1244 (1999)