Afghanistan has banned the sale of imitation Kalashnikovs and other fake guns after the toys caused injuries to more than 100 people during Eid al-Fitr celebrations. The move is part of a wider effort to curb a culture of violence in the war-torn country. Children toting toy guns that fire rubber or plastic pellets are a common sight during Eid al-Fitr, with sales surging every year amid the festivities that mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. More than 100 children and teenagers suffered eye injuries during three days of celebrations that ended on Sunday, according to health officials. “Interior minister Noor-ul Haq Uloomi has ordered police to confiscate all toy guns which can lead to physical and psychological damage,” a ministry statement said.The government wants to reduce the influence of such toys on impressionable young minds, with many observers drawing a connection between juvenile war games and adult violence.The ban, which, if rigorously enforced, would impact the booming toy business in the country, was widely welcomed on social media, with some calling for a similar crackdown on the sale of real weapons.Afghanistan — a nation which has suffered for decades due to violence and where a whole generation has grown up knowing nothing but war — has taken a step in this direction.Closer to home, media reports say a number of children were injured while playing with toy weapons in Karachi over the Eid break, while the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government banned the sale of imitation weapons over the holidays. While it may appear excessive to completely ban the sale of all toy guns, the state should consider preventing the sale of those that resemble actual firearms. For example, a clear distinction can be made between plastic-coloured guns and water pistols and toys that look like actual weapons.Society as a whole should discourage the sale and purchase of these questionable toys — indeed, civil society in some parts of the country such as Swat has raised its voice against such sales.Parents should guide their children towards taking up healthier, non-violent pastimes, because fears that a child who grows up clutching a toy weapon will one day graduate to the real thing are not completely unfounded.
pk.shafaqna.com
Banning toy weapons: A step towards right direction
