Celebrating Feminists’ Voices, Inspiring Global Peace

Campaigners Call for Urgent Ban on ‘Killer Robots’

23 April 2013

International campaign groups gathered in London on Tuesday, to call for a ban on fully autonomous weapons, before such ‘killer robots’ change the face of modern warfare forever and put the lives of innocent civilians in ‘unacceptable’ danger.

Synonymous with science fiction, robot weaponry is fast becoming a reality of the 21st century, as advancements in technology strip away the need for human intervention. Developing these weapons, says US political activist Jody Williams, “crosses a moral and ethical barrier that should never be breached.”

Awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1997 for her work towards the banning and clearing of anti-personnel landmines, Jody Williams was one of the founders of the ‘Stop Killer Robot’ campaign. She says it is critical UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon engages with this issue and that governments understand the importance of a pre-emptive ban.

Tuesday’s launch at the Frontline Club in London aims to throw ‘killer robots’ into the public spotlight by exposing the very real threat of a robotic arms race. The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom is just one of several non-governmental organizations supporting the coalition’s goal to establish sensible controls on such weapons before it is too late.

The evocative nature of the campaign has already attracted huge interest. Three days before its launch, the Ban Killer Robots Twitter page posted, “our website is down due to popular interest and we have not even launched our campaign yet or publicized the site address.”

Nonetheless, engaging governments who have the political will to impose a global moratorium and eventual ban, remains the hardest challenge. So far, only one country in the world has stated a policy on ‘killer robot’ weaponry, the United States. Jody Williams says, “the world’s more advanced militaries have convinced themselves that ever greater autonomy is the future of war and that fully autonomous weapons are both desirable and inevitable.” She lists the military might of the US, Israel, South Korea, Russia and China as the greatest concern and challenge. Both Israel and South Korea already operate precursor robotic guards on their borders.

Great photo from the first NGO Conference of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots in London, complete with the talking robot David Wreckham!
Great photo from the first NGO Conference of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots in London, complete with the talking robot David Wreckham!

Ultimately, it is the loss of humanity and accountability that worries campaigners the most about the rise of ‘killer robots’. “Giving machines the power to decide who lives and dies on the battlefield would take technology too far,” says Steve Goose, Arms Division director at Human Rights Watch. He argues, “Human control of robotic warfare is essential to minimizing civilian deaths and injuries.”

Jody Williams agrees, “The most horrifying thing to me about killer robots is that human beings think it is ok to develop and use independent lethal robots to kill people…they will pose an unacceptable threat to civilians.”

Whilst remote controlled drones already exist, developing fully autonomous weapons would cancel out any human judgment, placing the machines outside the parameters of international law. The Stop Killer Robot campaign argues, “who would be legally responsible for a robot’s actions, the commander, the programmer, manufacturer, or the robot itself?”

They say it is urgent international powers have the foresight to preempt such grave scenarios. An international treaty must be agreed to ban such weapons, before willing investment and rapid technological developments, turn science fiction into a reality.

You can do more to support the campaign by following Tuesday’s launch as it happens on Twitter @BanKillerRobots, and pressuring your government to pass a national law to ban ‘killer robots’.

Read more on the campaigns new website.

By Chloé Curwen Corbin

 

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Melissa Torres

VICE-PRESIDENT

Prior to being elected Vice-President, Melissa Torres was the WILPF US International Board Member from 2015 to 2018. Melissa joined WILPF in 2011 when she was selected as a Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women as part of the WILPF US’ Practicum in Advocacy Programme at the United Nations, which she later led. She holds a PhD in Social Work and is a professor and Global Health Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine and research lead at BCM Anti-Human Trafficking Program. Of Mexican descent and a native of the US/Mexico border, Melissa is mostly concerned with the protection of displaced Latinxs in the Americas. Her work includes training, research, and service provision with the American Red Cross, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Centre, and refugee resettlement programs in the U.S. Some of her goals as Vice-President are to highlight intersectionality and increase diversity by fostering inclusive spaces for mentorship and leadership. She also contributes to WILPF’s emerging work on the topic of displacement and migration.

Jamila Afghani

VICE-PRESIDENT

Jamila Afghani is the President of WILPF Afghanistan which she started in 2015. She is also an active member and founder of several organisations including the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organisation (NECDO). Elected in 2018 as South Asia Regional Representative to WILPF’s International Board, WILPF benefits from Jamila’s work experience in education, migration, gender, including gender-based violence and democratic governance in post-conflict and transitional countries.

Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo

PRESIDENT

Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO is a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years experience including ten within WILPF. She has a multi-disciplinary background with a track record of multiple socio-economic development projects implemented to improve policies, practices and peace-oriented actions. Sylvie is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and was the Section’s president until 2022. She co-coordinated the African Working Group before her election as Africa Representative to WILPF’s International Board in 2018. A teacher by profession and an African Union Trainer in peace support operations, Sylvie has extensive experience advocating for the political and social rights of women in Africa and worldwide.

WILPF Afghanistan

In response to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and its targeted attacks on civil society members, WILPF Afghanistan issued several statements calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghan people and ensure that their rights be upheld, including access to aid. The Section also published 100 Untold Stories of War and Peace, a compilation of true stories that highlight the effects of war and militarisation on the region. 

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Demilitarisation

WILPF uses feminist analysis to argue that militarisation is a counter-productive and ill-conceived response to establishing security in the world. The more society becomes militarised, the more violence and injustice are likely to grow locally and worldwide.

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