It is estimated that fighting in Darfur, Iraq, and the Democratic Republic of Congo has taken the lives of up to three-quarters of a million people a year - 30 times the annual death toll from global terrorism.

It's a figure that's hard to take in. And these are just three of the 31 major conflicts that are taking place around the world - most of which go unreported outside their own countries.

Photo: Adrian McIntyre/Oxfam

 

Although many people feel enormous sympathy with those who suffer such atrocities, it's easy to feel that nothing can be done to prevent them.

They are wrong. The massive, unnecessary impact that conflict has on people can be reduced and the world should choose to do so.

 

Some governments have started to prioritise the protection of civilians.

Liberia used to have the world's worst record on sexual violence. During the conflict there, which ended in 2003, a bewildering 74 per cent of women and girls were raped. But under a new president, Africa's first elected woman leader, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the government is now taking action against sexual violence. The girls pictured here are reading a poster titled 'No help for sex', at their school in Monrovia, the Liberian capital. With its "We Can" campaign Oxfam supports projects around the world to end sexual violence.

Photo: Aubrey Wade/Oxfam GB

 

Ten years ago, the Ottowa treaty, which banned the use of landmines, came into force. Though initially seen by some as a token gesture that would have little effect, some estimate that the treaty has reduced the toll of death and injury from landmines by as much as two-thirds.

Photo: Howard Davies/Oxfam

 

The international ban on landmines helped kick-start larger, more far-reaching movements to control the flow of weapons around the world. Thanks to global public pressure through the Control Arms campaign, the United Nations voted to begin work on a historic Arms Trade Treaty to better regulate the arms trade.

Photo: Oxfam

 

But governments must go further to keep civilians safe, and they must act now. For many poor people, whose lives already hang in the balance, there is little scope to manage the risks they face.

Climate change is now threatening to push more poor communities into conflict, as unpredictable weather - longer droughts, more frequent floods, and more intense hurricanes - causes increased competition for land and natural resources.

Photo: Crispin Hughes/Oxfam

 

Governments should act to stop conflict before it begins, they should speak out against war crimes and be more ready to impose sanctions on abusers.

In July 2007, the UN announced that a new, stronger peacekeeping force would finally be sent into Darfur. However, many UN nations are failing to provide what they promised. Governments should ensure that peacekeeping forces, like the troops in Darfur, are both effective and properly funded.

You can join us and use your voice to demand change - take action to protect the people of Darfur

Photo: Oxfam