Victim assistance
AOAV is a founding member of the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW). We believe, as our data routinely shows, that the use of explosive weapons in populated areas causes severe harm to individuals and communities. This suffering can and should be reduced so that unnecessary deaths and injuries can be prevented. We call on States to cease the use of explosive weapons in towns and cities. This page examines victim’s rights and the provision – or lack of – victim assistance when civilians are faced with the horrors of armed violence.
1 Jun 2021Six years after rockets fell on Mariupol, scars still remain
On 24th January 2015, a barrage of rockets were fired into a small district in eastern Ukraine. Thirty-one people were killed – two of them children – and more than 100 were injured.
5 Apr 2021The Rise of ‘Lawfare’ in the UK examined: how Parliament turned the law into a battleground
The Conservative Party’s 2015 Manifesto stated “we will ensure our Armed Forces overseas are not subject to persistent human rights claims". This article explores this claim and its impact.
25 Jan 2021The End of Where We Begin
This is an extract from the book The End of Where We Begin by Rosalind Russell. The book is a true-life account of three young refugees who flee civil war in South Sudan.
16 Oct 2020Targeting Life in Idlib: HRW report on Syrian-Russian strikes on Civilian infrastructure
HRW say targeting of civilian infrastructure by the Syrian-Russian Alliance amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
24 Sep 2020AOAV, Airwars and partners urge US to end sanctions against ICC
Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) is among a group of eight organisations who signed a public statement calling for the United States to end sanctions against members of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
9 Jul 2020The effects of strategic bombing of Germany in WWII on health and medical care
This report summarises the conclusions of the United States Strategic Bombing Survey in their research into the effects of air raids on the health of Germany.
8 Jul 2020The Effects of Strategic Bombing in WWII on German Morale
This report summarises the conclusions of the United States Strategic Bombing Survey in their research into the effects of air raids on the willingness and ability of the German population to support the war effort.
7 Jul 2020AOAV condemns government decision to allow new arms sales to Saudi Arabia
Government ends appeal to Supreme Court on arms to Saudi Arabia, but decides it can continue sales. UK has licensed at least £5.3 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since the conflict began in March 2015.
1 Jul 2020Getting it right – casualty recording is a human rights issue, as the UN has now shown
Casualty recording has been recognised as an essential component of the human rights regime at the highest international level for the first time.
16 Mar 2020Towards a political declaration on the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas
AOAV examines the path towards a political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas
7 Jan 2020AOAV’s recommendations to the UK’s MOD in relation to air-strikes and casualty recording
A summary of AOAV's recommendation to the UK's Ministry of Defence in relation to casualty counting and air-strikes.
1 Oct 2019As over 100 states gather to discuss protecting civilians in urban, AOAV launches searchable explosive violence database
As a global conference in Austria seeks to address the impact on civilians of explosive violence in urban areas, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) today launches a searchable database to aid this mission.