Vegetable seller Caroline Tibet recently lost about US$420 in aubergines, cassava and okra when gunfire broke out near the truck just loaded up with her goods near the town of Duékoué in western Côte d'Ivoire.

The statement by Ms Silvia Pimentel, Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) presented to the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on 22 February 2011 includes specific reference to aspects of our work as IANSA women, including the disproportionate impact of armed conflict on women; the need to strengthen the Treaty body framework which we should take into account as the Arms Trade Treaty moves forward; and the issue of various groups at risk in conflict and post conflict contexts.

This article was published on openDemocracy on 8 March 2011. As guns proliferate in a worldwide market with few controls, many get diverted from state and rebel armies to petty criminals and 'the man in the street'. Sexual and domestic violence is becoming more deadly, reports Cynthia Cockburn.

Today hundreds of events are taking place around the world to mark and celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. Many IANSA women from Afghanistan to El Salvador are holding activities today and throughout the month of March. I would also like to take a few moments to congratulate you all on your achievements and successes during the last 12 months. It is you – incredible IANSA women – that make the IANSA Women’s Network such a strong, diverse and dynamic network.

The attention of the world may be on the Middle East but violence is apparent elsewhere. This eyewitness account from a woman in Cote d’Ivoire highlights the urgent need for an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). IANSA women have joined the call for the Treaty to cover all weapons, munitions and related equipment for the use of force in military, police and internal security operations enforcement to ensure that the Treaty will prevent grave human rights abuses.

The 8 March marks International Women’s Day, a celebration of women’s efforts for equality and a reminder of challenges yet to be overcome. This year, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and its projects Reaching Critical Will and PeaceWomen have organised a seminar on “Women, disarmament, arms control, and non-proliferation,” that focuses on implications of and follow-up to the UN General Assembly resolution of this name adopted in December 2010.

Many thanks to the Women Peacemakers Program of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation for sharing the following article which highlights women's involvement as survivors, victims and advocates in efforts against gun violence.

IANSA is delighted that our women-only Training Institute model* is inspiring others around the world to engage in similar women-focused initiatives.

The latest edition of P@x, the online newsletter of the Peace Studies Group (NEP/CES) of the Centre for Social Studies (School of Economics, University of Coimbra, Portugal). This issue is dedicated to ‘Violence and Small Arms: The Portuguese Case’ and contains articles by IANSA women, including one on armed domestic violence in Portugal.