What is violence?
“What is violence ”
November is internationally the month used to focus on violence. The 25th of November is International day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, while 16 days of activism for No Violence Against Women and Children runs from 25 Nov – 10 Dec. Although violence is a word often used in the news, on social media platforms and so forth I am sure that the definition of violence will differ from person to person. So, let us start this series of blogs off with an explanation of the term violence.
We will start to look at some aspects related to this topic. Violence is –
- a global phenomenon resulting in the deaths of more than 1.6 million people each year, occurs in low- to middle-income countries, many of which are stricken with internal conflicts (However, it should be kept in mind that violent deaths cannot simply be attributed to war, and more than 80% of such deaths occur outside of armed conflicts),
- incredibly costly (2015 – $13.6 trillion = total impact of violence to the world economy),
- increasingly interpersonal and tied in with criminal activity, particularly in urban areas (2012 – UN Global Study on Homicide, intentional homicide was the cause of the deaths of almost half a million people across the world),
- placing a heavy burden on health and justice systems, social welfare services, and the economy of communities.
Keeping the above in mind violence is a social problem with social solutions. It does take a community to help heal the wounds of violence.
Unfortunately, high levels of violence and crime in regions such as Southern Africa are often the symptoms of underlying social, economic and political challenges such as social inequality, rapid urbanisation, poverty, unemployment and institutional shortcomings.
The adverse effects of violence on a country are harmful not only to its citizens, but the wellbeing of the community and country as a whole. The impact of violence often has a domino effect; it significantly and directly reduces economic growth resulting in a lower ability to reduce poverty, causing psychological and physical trauma, and overall reducing the quality of life for all of society.
Although violence is often seen and responded to as an inevitable part of the human condition, such assumptions are shifting, focus is broadening, and an increased emphasis is being placed on prevention of violent behaviour and consequences.
In order for prevention efforts to be successful, there needs to be an increase in our understanding of this complex phenomenon. Moral codes may vary vastly throughout the wold, making it more of a challenge to address the often sensitive topic of violence, its causes and its consequences, however some form of shared understanding needs to be reached in order to protect human life and dignity effectively.
Defining violence
As a result of violence being such a complex phenomenon, there is no clear definition for it. Therefore, it is often understood differently by different people in different contexts – such as those from different countries, cultures, or belief systems.
While no standard definition of violence has been established, it is important, when developing effective prevention strategies, to have a clear understanding of violence and the context in which it occurs. In its 2002 World Report on Violence and Health, the World Health Organisation (WHO) proposes a definition of violence that has since become a working term for many international and South African organisations working in the field:
WHO definition of violence
“The intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation.”
In our next blog we will take a closer look at the categories and types of violence in an attempt at clarifying the WHO’s definition of violence.