Columbia International Affairs Online
CIAO DATE: 8/5/2007
Review of Key Literature on Children, Youth and Small Arms
2006 October
South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons
Abstract
Since SALW emerged as an issue in the international community in the late 1990s, there has been a wide range of articles, reports and research. For educators or children’s rights staff, the picture is a very confusing one, as much of the language is very technical, and the literature relevant to children and youth has generally not been written within a coherent theoretical framework, such as child development, children’s rights programming, child safety and protection and public health. There is also a vast literature in the USA on the gun issue, with advocates for and against gun control, and research in psychology and paediatrics on the effects of guns on children and young people. In addition, in the developed world, there is a large literature on youth and crime, some of which refers to the use of weapons.
