India

The security situation in India is not entirely stable as both the ongoing dispute with Pakistan over the status of Kashmir and armed insurgency in the north-east continue to spark instances of armed violence in the north of the country.¹ As of 2023, reports also state that human rights violations persist.² Due to this instability, India has moderate levels of weapons and ammunition trafficking.³ Unexploded ordnance left in the country continues to pose a threat, especially around its border with Pakistan.⁴

Nonviolence International is working on the ground to support the through-life management of ammunition. Efforts have focused on developing regional and national mechanisms and initiatives to regulate weapons and ammunition.⁵

¹ “International Armed Conflict between India and Pakistan,” Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts Project (RULAC), Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, updated October 19, 2022, https://www.rulac.org/browse/conflicts/international-armed-conflict-between-pakistan-and-india#collapse1accord; Aarti Betigeri, “India's Northeast: An Integral Piece of the Puzzle,” Lowy Institute, February 2, 2022, https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/india-s-northeast-integral-piece-puzzle.

² “World Report 2023: India Events of 2022,” Human Rights Watch, accessed September 11, 2023. https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/india.

³ Philip Alpers, Miles Lovell and Michael Picard, India – Gun Facts, Figures and the Law (GunPolicy.org, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, 2022), https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/india.

⁴ “India Mine Ban Policy,” Landmine & Cluster Munition Monitor, accessed August 26, 2022, http://www.the-monitor.org/en-gb/reports/2018/india/mine-ban-policy.aspx; Ashutosh Sharma, “Death-Traps along the Border: Why Are Indian Landmines Killing Indians?” National Herald, December 9, 2018, https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/death-traps-along-the-border-why-are-indian-landmines-killing-indians.

⁵ Ammunition Management Activity Platform (A-MAP),” GICHD, 2022, https://a-map.gichd.org.