Explosive truths: monitoring explosive violence in 2016

The 2016 report presents the findings of the sixth consecutive year of Action on Armed Violence’s (AOAV) Explosive Violence Monitoring Project (EVMP). The EVMP tracks the impact of explosive weapon use world-wide as reported in the English-language media.

When explosive weapons are used in populated areas, they massively elevate the threat to civilians. In 2016, 92% of those reported harmed by explosive weapons in populated areas were civilians. Last year AOAV recorded an average of 32 civilian deaths from explosive weapons per day.

Since the monitor began in 2010, AOAV has recorded the appalling suffering caused across the globe by both manufactured and improvised weapons. This continued harm that has now manifested in the refugee crisis that impacts Europe and far beyond shows the urgent need for action to combat and reduce the harm these weapons continue to cause. States and other users must politically commit to stop using explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas. The harm recorded in 2016 and reflected in this report illustrates the stark urgency needed to reach this commitment.