Tools of Torture and Repression in South America CONCLUSION This report provides a general overview of the production, proliferation and use of law enforcement equipment in South America. Further research and documentation is required in several areas, particularly with regard to trade controls, transparency concerns, corporate accountability and use of force regulations. Nonetheless, several conclusions and trends can be identified on the basis of this initial report. Cases of torture and other ill-treatment perpetrated against people in places of detention or exercising their right to protest are commonplace, and carried out with a wide range of law enforcement equipment, ranging from handcuffs to live ammunition. Weak use of force regulations which do not conform with international human rights standards compound this problem. Given the widespread human rights violations that are occurring, it is important that human rights organisations and the general public know where the equipment being used by law enforcement officials is coming from. Although South American countries continue to import a large amount of law enforcement equipment from outside the region, regional production capacity is increasing rapidly and the international presence of South American manufacturers is growing. As such, extra attention must be placed on all parties involved in the transfer of law enforcement equipment, monitoring the compliance of national authorities with their obligations under national and international law and of companies with their responsibility to respect human rights. There is evidence that South American companies have made transfers to end users with a pattern of human rights violations. Trade controls are generally weak and poorly enforced, in spite of the increased production of law enforcement equipment in South America. Key concerns include the lack of transparency regarding exports, the absence of human rights safeguards in certain export control regimes and the failure to regulate brokering activities. Controls over licensed production and the export of equipment produced under such agreements to third countries need introducing. At the regional level, progress has been made on standard-setting aimed at eradicating the illicit manufacturing and trafficking of certain types of equipment. However, the focus of these efforts has been firearms and ammunition, meaning other types of equipment often misused or abused by law enforcement officials have yet to receive similar scrutiny. Furthermore, there are obstacles to putting effective regional controls in place, including a culture of secrecy, weak institutional capacity and poor implementation of existing norms. The following recommendations are submitted for the careful consideration of policy makers, trade control officials, monitoring bodies and companies involved in the manufacture and trade of law enforcement equipment. 61