04 TRADE In addition to examining the manufacture of law enforcement equipment in Brazil, for the purposes of this report, Omega also undertook research into the promotion, import and export of law enforcement equipment by Brazilian companies. As Brazilian manufacturers of law enforcement equipment have grown in size and number, several companies have established themselves globally. At the same time, growing domestic demand and high levels of security spending have led a number of international companies to identify Brazil as a potential market for their products97. While there is nothing unusual about the existence of this trade, it is important that all transfers of equipment are tightly monitored and regulated to ensure consistency with international human rights norms and standards. 4. TRADE In particular, it is essential that equipment is not exported in circumstances where there is a high risk of it being used to commit human rights abuses and that the products that are traded are suitable for use by law enforcement. With this in mind, the following sections of the report provide an overview of the promotion, import and export of law enforcement equipment and weapons in Brazil. In doing so, the report highlights several issues of concern related to the trade, including the promotion of inherently abusive equipment and an alleged breach of a UN arms embargo. The final section of the report then examines recent changes to Brazil’s regulation of the trade and makes recommendations for how this regulation can be strengthened. 4.1 Promotion of Brazilian products internationally A critical factor in the internationalization of Brazilian manufacturers of law enforcement equipment has been their ability to promote their products to potential clients globally. One of the primary means by which companies can seek to promote their products is by attending arms fairs. Each year dozens of defence and security exhibitions are held around the world, providing companies with the opportunity to meet potential clients, showcase their products and broker deals with government and military delegations. While the presence of a company at a particular fair does not necessarily guarantee that the company has traded in that country or region, it does nevertheless provide an indication of their intent to do so. In order to identify instances in which Brazilian companies have actively promoted their products to foreign buyers, Omega analysed exhibitor lists from over 100 international defence and security fairs98. The results of this analysis reveal that since 2010 a total of 6 of the companies included in this report have attended one or more international fairs. Popular markets for Brazilian companies included Western Europe where three companies (Condor, Taurus and CBC) collectively exhibited a total of 48 times at seven fairs during the period 43