Don't forget to visit
http://sheffield.amnesty.org.uk/
Amnesty International Facts and figures
These Facts and Figures highlight the situation in some of Amnesty International’s key areas of work for 2006:
They do not and cannot tell the whole story of all the human rights abuses committed across the world in 2006. They are representative of the cases known to Amnesty International but they do not amount to an exhaustive list. As the Death Penalty statistics illustrate, the true number of instances of abuse and denial of rights are certainly far greater than this snapshot can show.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL IN 2006
2.2 million members or supporters in more than 150 countries and territories
5,000 people, communities, human rights organizations and families worked with across the world
700 Human Rights Defenders and human rights organisations trained globally
473 briefings and reports produced
330 Urgent Actions issued on behalf of individuals at risk
153 countries featured in Amnesty International’s Report 2007
121 campaigning projects launched
120 visits made to 77countries and territories
57countries documented as holding prisoners of conscience or possible prisoners of conscience
Source: Amnesty International
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
185 states have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
62 have placed reservations on clauses
9 have not signed
1 has signed but not ratified – the USA
Domestic Violence
At least 1 in 3 women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Usually, the abuser is a member of her own family or someone known to her.
Trafficking
2 million people are trafficked every year – the majority women and girls
137 countries receive them, mostly in Western Europe, Asia and Northern America
127 countries send them, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, West Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean
Women in Conflict
70% of the casualties in recent conflicts have been non-combatants - most of them women and children
Tens of thousands of women and girls have been subjected to rape and other sexual violence since the crisis erupted in Darfur in 2003
0 people are known by Amnesty International to have been convicted in Darfur for these atrocities
Source: Amnesty International, UNICEF, UNIFEM, UN, WHO, Médecins Sans Frontières
CONTROL ARMS
In 2006 1,250,000 people joined the Million Faces photo petition demanding tougher controls on the arms trade
153 governments voted in December to start work towards an international Arms Trade Treaty
24 countries abstained
1 voted against the Treaty – the USA
Trade
US$22bn is spent on arms on average by countries in Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa each year
US$22bn would have enabled these countries to give every child a place in school and reduce child mortality by two thirds by 2015
85% of killings recorded by Amnesty International involve the use of small arms and light weapons
60% of the world’s firearms are in the hands of private individuals
2bullets are produced for every man, woman and child on the planet each year
Source: Amnesty International, Small Arms Survey 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, UN Human Development Report 2005, UN Comtrade data, International Finance Facility proposal, January 2003, HM Treasury, UNAIDS Global Report 2004, US Congress
Control Arms is a campaign jointly run by Amnesty International, the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) and Oxfam.
THE DEATH PENALTY IN 2006*
20,000 people are estimated to be on death row across the world
3,861 people were sentenced to death in 55 countries
1,591** prisoners were executed in 25countries; this fell from 2,148 prisoners executed in 22countries in 2005
128 countries do not execute people (having abolished the death penalty in law or practice)
99 of whom have abolished the death penalty in law for all ordinary crimes – the Philippines became the 99th in 2006
91% of all known executions took place in 6countries: China, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Pakistan and the USA
69 countries still use the death penalty
65 people were known to be executed in Iraq in 2006
3 had been executed in 2005
* Figures presented for executions and sentences include only those known to Amnesty International; the true totals are higher.
** This figure is higher than that published in the Amnesty International Report 2007 as it includes information received in the last few weeks.
Source: Amnesty International
TORTURE AND TERROR IN 2006
144 states have ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
102 countries had cases of torture and ill-treatment by security forces, police and other state authorities documented in the Amnesty International Report 2007
”War on Terror”
400 detainees from more than 30 nationalities were still held at Guantánamo Bay - the public symbol of the injustices in the “war on terror” – at the end of 2006
200 have staged hunger strikes since the camp opened
40 have attempted suicide
3 died in June 2006, after apparent suicides
An unknown number of detainees are held in other, secret, detention centres or “black sites” around the world
Source: Amnesty International
INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE IN 2006*
International Criminal Court (ICC)
104countries have ratified the Rome Statute of the ICC
100 states have concluded an “impunity agreement” with the USA – which excludes US citizens from prosecution
6 warrants of arrest have been issued
3 situations are under investigation - Northern Uganda; Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Darfur, Sudan
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
161 people have been indicted for serious violations of international humanitarian law
Special Court for Sierra Leone
10 people are standing trial, including Charles Taylor who was transferred to the Special Court in March 2006
All have pleaded not guilty - they are charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other violations of international humanitarian law
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
27 judgments have been handed down, involving 33 people
*information updated to include 1 January - 1 May 2007