The Swiss arms trade reaches new record levels. The recipient states also include Countries like Brazil with a highly problematic human rights situation. The Switzerland must do its utmost to stop arms deals with Brazil, demands terre des hommes schweiz. The development organization supports the corrective initiative, which calls for greater democratic control over the export of war material to countries in civil war.
Switzerland exports more weapons than ever before. This is shown by the figures on the export of war material in 2020, published by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) on March 9, 2021. In total, war material exports worth around CHF 901 million were approved. This is 24 percent more than in the previous year.
Weapons instead of health
“Although government investment in the health sector should be a priority during the global pandemic, the arms business is booming,” criticizes Andrea Zellhuber, Head of Violence Prevention at terre des hommes schweiz. “In the middle of the coronavirus crisis, the business of death is booming.”
Last year, Switzerland exported war material worth over 30 million Swiss francs to Brazil alone. This puts Brazil in 8th place among the countries receiving arms exports from Switzerland.
Brazil a growth market for weapons
The Brazilian government under Jair Bolsonaro has caused worldwide horror with its reckless pandemic policy. Instead of prioritizing the health crisis, the ultra-right-wing president is focusing on relaxing national arms laws and lifting import duties on war materiel. “The Swiss arms industry is doing unscrupulous business in this growth market,” criticizes Andrea Zellhuber.
The human rights situation in Brazil is highly problematic. In 2019, Brazilian security forces killed 6,357 people. The number of fatalities caused by police violence increased for the sixth year in a row. The police are waging a “war on drugs and criminals” with highly potent weapons of war at the behest of the state. “The security forces often take the law into their own hands and are sometimes directly involved in criminal activities,” says Andrea Zellhuber.
Study on gun violence in the murder of young people in Brazil
During their operations in the favelas, they often endanger innocent bystanders, often including children and young people. In Rio de Janeiro alone, 62 children were hit by ricochets during gunfights last year and 26 died as a result.
To find out where the weapons used to murder young people in Brazil come from, terre des hommes schweiz has commissioned a study. The study will be published in May 2021.
Stop arms exports to problematic countries
“In view of the serious human rights violations in Brazil, Switzerland must do its utmost to stop arms deals with Brazil.” terre des hommes schweiz therefore supports the corrective initiative, which calls for more democratic control over Swiss arms exports.
Corrective initiative: No Wild West with weapons in Brazil! | terre des hommes schweiz
