Categories and types of violence
“Categories and Types of Violence”
On the basis of the WHO’s definition of violence, an elaborate “typology of violence” has been developed that characterises different categories and types of violence, as well as the links between them (allowing for a holistic approach to intervention).
It divides violence into three broad categories according to WHO the perpetrators and victims are of violent acts:
1. Self-directed violence
Self-directed violence refers to violent acts a person inflicts upon him- or herself, and includes self-abuse (such as self-mutilation) and suicidal behaviour (including suicidal thoughts, as well as attempted and completed suicide).
2. Interpersonal violence
Interpersonal violence refers to violence inflicted by another individual or by a small group of individuals. It can be further divided into two subcategories:
- Family and intimate partner violence – violence largely between family members and intimate partners, usually, though not exclusively, taking place in the home. This includes forms of violence such as child abuse, intimate partner violence and abuse of the elderly.
- Community violence – violence between individuals who are unrelated, and who may or may not know each other, generally taking place outside the home. This includes youth violence, random acts of violence, rape or sexual assault by strangers, and violence in institutional settings such as schools, workplaces, prisons and nursing homes.
3. Collective violence
Collective violence can be defined as the instrumental use of violence by people who identify themselves as members of a group – whether this group is transitory or has a more permanent identity – against another group or set of individuals, in order to achieve political, economic or social objectives. This can manifest in a number of forms, such as genocide, repression, terrorism and organised violent crime.
By looking more closely at the nature of acts of violence, these three categories can be further divided into four, more specific, types of violence:
1. Physical violence
Physical violence is the intentional use of physical force, used with the potential for causing harm, injury, disability or death. This includes, but is not limited to: scratching, pushing, shoving, grabbing, biting, choking, shaking, slapping, punching, hitting, burning, use of a weapon, and use of restraint or one’s body against another person.
- This type of violence does not only lead to physical harm, but can also have severe negative psychological effects – for example, if a child is frequently a victim of physical violence at home, he or she can suffer from mental health problems and be traumatised as a consequence of this victimisation.
connections that lie beyond our physical relations.
2. Sexual violence
- Sexual violence involves a sexual act being committed or attempted against a victim who has not freely given consent, or who is unable to consent or refuse. This includes, but is not limited to: forced, alcohol/drug-facilitated or unwanted penetration, sexual touching, or non-contact acts of a sexual nature. A perpetrator forcing or coercing a victim to engage in sexual acts with a third party also qualifies as sexual violence.
- This type of violence can also lead to physical harm, and in most cases has severe negative psychological effects too.
4. Neglect
- Neglect, or deprivation, is a type of abuse which occurs when someone has the responsibility to provide care for an individual who is unable to care for him- or herself, but fails to do so, therefore depriving them of adequate care. Neglect may include the failure to provide sufficient supervision, nourishment, or medical care, or the failure to fulfil other needs for which the victim cannot provide themselves.
- Neglect can lead to many long-term side effects such as: physical injuries, low self-esteem, attention disorders, violent behaviour, physical and psychological illness, and can even result death.
These four types of violence can occur in each of the previously mentioned broad categories, and their subcategories (except for self-directed violence). Furthermore, National and international quantitative violence studies show that if women are the victims of physical, sexual and/or psychological violence, it is most often a case of domestic violence by intimate partners – in contrast to men, who are more often victims of violence in public spaces at the hands of persons known or unknown to them, particularly at a younger age, up to around 25-30. Both women and men are primarily victims of violence by male perpetrators. Women comparatively rarely act as perpetrators of severe violence.
The graphic below illustrates these links between types of violence and the nature of violent acts. Horizontally the graphic shows who is affected, while vertically it describes how they are potentially affected.
This typology of violence provides a useful framework for understanding the complex patterns of violence in the lives of individuals, families and communities. It captures the nature of violent acts, the relevance of the setting, the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim, and – in the case of collective violence – possible motivations for the violence.
One should keep in mind that this is just a model and in reality, the dividing lines between the types or nature of violence are not always this clear – they can easily overlap, and influence or reinforce each other.
Another important concept, when we look at violence more closely, is the structure of violence.
Direct and indirect (structural) violence
The typology of violence clearly distinguishes between perpetrators of violence across different levels. There are situations, however, when violence cannot be attributed to a specific actor but rather to structures put in place that exert violence (in any of its forms) on individuals or communities. The system of apartheid and its overt discrimination against a large part of the South African population is one example.
In this context, Norwegian sociologist Johan Galtung provides a useful distinction:
- Direct violence – this is where an actor or perpetrator can clearly be identified. All forms of self-directed violence and interpersonal violence, as well as many forms of collective violence, can also be understood as direct violence
- Indirect or structural violence – this is where no direct actor exists. Violence is rather built into the structures, appearing as unequal power relations and, consequently, as unequal opportunities.
Structural violence exists when certain groups, classes, genders or nationalities have privileged access to goods, resources and opportunities over others, and when this unequal advantage is built into the social, political and economic systems that govern their lives.
Structural violence requires both political and social change in order to transform the existing, discriminatory structures and patterns that govern the lives of citizens.
Our next blog will focus on the terms crime and violence. Terms often closely linked and used interchangeably. However, they should not be confused.