Published in March 2019

 

 

Introduction

 

How to use this Guide

This Guide is an accompaniment to the video on firearms trafficking. The purpose of this two-part toolkit is to critically engage secondary-level students (aged 13 to 18) in understanding the meaning and impact of firearms trafficking and associated firearms violence.

Firearms trafficking and associated firearms violence impact the lives and futures of young people. Young people that lack the skills and competencies to manage and resolve conflict are particularly vulnerable to violence and victimization. Firearms are trafficked within and across borders and are the cause of all kinds of violence. The connection between firearms, violence and organized crime is well documented.

The Guide is designed to help teachers of secondary-level students expand on the content of the video; it recommends good practices and educational strategies that can be used in conjunction with the video.

The practices and the strategies recommended in the Guide are focused on the following messages about firearms trafficking. Teachers are urged to frame their lessons around these messages and share them with their students.

  • Resorting to the use of firearms is not an acceptable way to resolve conflicts
  • The death, injury and heartache caused by gun violence are devastating. The threat and reality of gun violence can seriously affect entire communities
  • Firearms are not intrinsically illegal; they become illegal when diverted into the illegal market or when misused for the commission of crimes

The Guide is comprised of four modules:

  • Module 1 presents instructions for developing a rationale for the use of the video in the classroom. It also includes activities that teachers can undertake using the video.
  • Module 2 presents ideas for previewing strategies that enable students to be more effective viewers of the video. It includes a lesson plan that teachers can apply to the previewing process.
  • Module 3 focuses on encouraging the students to engage critically with the video content and includes strategies to enhance the viewing experience.
  • Module 4 focuses on the post-viewing stage of the process. It includes a lesson plan for a debriefing session and a discussion guide.

In addition, the Guide contains the following resources to support the implementation of the modules:

  • A glossary
  • A conflict pyramid diagram
  • A sample plot diagram
  • An alternative beginning template
  • An alternative ending template
  • A persuasive writing checklist
  • A sample firearms violence tree diagram
  • A checklist for using the video
 

About this Guide

This Guide has been developed under the auspices of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Education for Justice (E4J) initiative that promotes respect for the rule of law through education.

The Guide is informed by the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, which was adopted by the General Assembly, in its resolution 55/25, on 15 November 2000. The Organized Crime Convention is the main international legal instrument in the fight against transnational organized crime, of which firearms trafficking is a part.

Because firearms trafficking and associated firearms violence play a major role in organized crime, the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition was added to the Convention. It was adopted by the General Assembly, in its resolution 55/255, on 31 May 2001. 

The Guide uses the aims and infrastructure of the Global Citizenship Education (GCED) initiative, which place young people at the centre of these preventive practices, as its framework. GCED aims to instil in learners the values, attitudes and behaviours that support responsible global citizenship: creativity, innovation and commitment to peace, human rights and sustainable development.

Tackling firearms trafficking and associated firearms violence is vital to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 3, whose primary goal is good health and well-being.

 
Next: Module 1 - Developing a rationale for using the firearms trafficking video
Back to top