2024 Theses Master's

Triggering Change: Integrating Firearm Violence into Concluding Observations

Biaggi, Alejandra

The present study uses a mixed methods approach, drawing upon both quantitative and content analyses, to discern the frequency and context in which the Committee on the Rights of the Child refers to firearms in their concluding observations (COs) to States Parties. The dataset consists of 200 of the most recently published COs dating from 8 July 2014 to 17 October 2023, spanning reports from 154 different States Parties.

The study finds that the Committee mentions firearms with regards to international agreements pertaining to firearms, domestic legislative measures that regulate firearms, discussions of firearm training in military programs, arms export and military assistance to countries of armed conflict, or as infringements of two specific children’s rights: 1) the right to survival and development; and 2) to the right of education.

However, the study also reveals an overarching gap in acknowledging firearms as a threat to children’s rights, with only 26% of all of the COs since July 2014 making any mentions of firearms at all. As such, it becomes evident that there also exists a gap in understanding the full extent of harm that firearms inflict on broader children’s rights, as well as a lack of emphasis on the issue within the international conversation on children’s rights. The findings highlight the urgent need for greater attention to firearms in discussions and actions related to children’s rights at both the national and international levels.