Document - Amnesty International Report 2007: Facts and Figures
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Media Briefing
AI Index: POL 10/007/2007 (Public)
News Service No: 094
23 May 2007
Embargo Date: 23 May 2007 10:00GMT
Amnesty International Report 2007
Facts and Figures
These Facts and Figures highlight the situation in some of Amnesty International’s key areas of work for 2006:
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Violence Against Women
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Control Arms
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Death Penalty
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Torture and Terror
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International Justice
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.
For more detailed case studies, country-specific information or analysis of certain issues, please visit our Report 2007 website and use the tags at the bottom of the country entries or type a keyword into the search engine. For example: Belarus; Forced Evictions; Migration; Zimbabwe.
Amnesty International in 2006
2.2 million members or supporters in more than 150 countries and territories
5,000people, communities, human rights organizations and families worked with across the world
700Human Rights Defenders and human rights organisations trained globally
473briefings and reports produced
330Urgent Actions issued on behalf of individuals at risk
153countries featured in Amnesty International’s Report 2007
121campaigning projects launched
120visits made to 77countries and territories
57countries documented as holding prisoners of conscience or possible prisoners of conscience
Source: Amnesty International
Violence Against Women
185states have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
62have placed reservations on clauses
9have not signed
1has signed but not ratified – the USA
Domestic Violence
1in 3 women is subjected to intimate partner abuse during her lifetime
50%of murdered women are killed by current or former partners
Trafficking
2 million people are trafficked every year – the majority women and girls
137countries receive them, mostly in Western Europe, Asia and Northern America
127countries 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
0people 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
1,250,000people joined the Million Faces photo petition demanding tougher controls on the arms trade
153governments voted in December to start work towards an international Arms Trade Treaty
24countries abstained
1voted against the Treaty – the USA
Trade
US$22bnis spent on arms on average by countries in Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa each year
US$22bnwould 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: www.controlarms.org
The Death Penalty in 2006*
20,000people are estimated to be on death row across the world
3,861people were sentenced to death in 55countries
1,591**prisoners were executed in 25countries; this fell from 2,148prisoners executed in 22countries in 2005
128countries do not execute people (having abolished the death penalty in law or practice)
99of 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
69countries still use the death penalty
65people were known to be executed in Iraq in 2006
3had 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
144states have ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
102countries 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”
1,245flights through European airspace, or landings at European airports by planes known to have been used for rendition
400detainees from more than 30nationalities were still held at Guantánamo Bay - the public symbol of the injustices in the “war on terror” – at the end of 2006
200have staged hunger strikes since the camp opened
40have attempted suicide
3died in June 2006, after apparent suicides
??detainees are held in other, secret, detention centres or “black sites” around the world
Source: Amnesty International
International Justice*
International Criminal Court (ICC)
104countries have ratified the Rome Statute of the ICC
100states have concluded an “impunity agreement” with the USA – which excludes US citizens from prosecution
6warrants of arrest have been issued
3situations are under investigation - Northern Uganda; Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Darfur, Sudan
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
161people have been indicted for serious violations of international humanitarian law
Special Court for Sierra Leone
10people are standing trial, including Charles Taylor who was transferred to the Special Court in March 2006
Allhave pleaded not guilty - they are charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other violations of international humanitarian law
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
27judgments have been handed down, involving 33people
*information updated to include 1 January - 1 May 2007
Public Document
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