SOCSCI 2 PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT

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 SOCSCI 2 PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT

LESSON 2: Violence in Human Life

Learning Outcomes:
1.2.1. Discuss the meaning, sources and types
of violence
1.2.2. Discuss how violence has affected one’s
life and the community

1.2.3. Explain how the individual and the

community has addressed the different issues
brought about by violence.

An Overarching Definition of Violence

Violence is defined by the World Health Organization in the WRVH as “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” (Krug, Mercy J.et al,
2002)

Globally, violence takes the lives of more than 1.5 million people annually: just over
50% due to suicide, some 35% due to homicide, and just over 12% as a direct result of war or
some other form of conflict. For each single death due to violence, there are dozens of
hospitalizations, hundreds of emergency
Types of Violence department visits, and thousands of
doctors' appointments. Furthermore,
Suicide
violence often has lifelong consequences
12%3% Homicide
for victims' physical and mental health and
50%
Direct War social functioning and can slow economic
35%

Other forms of and social development (Balamurugan,

Conflicts
2019).

According to Betty Reardon, peace educators define violence as humanly inflicted

harm. (Reardon, n.d.). Furthermore, violence can be categorized as direct (physical violence)

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and indirect (structural violence). While Birgit Brock –Utne (1989) notes that violence can be
categorized as organized or unorganized.

1. Organized violence - refers to war that occurs between states or within a state.

2. Unorganized violence – usually done by an individual or groups in a spontaneous

includes wife battering, rape, child abuse and street crime.

3. Direct Violence/Physical Violence – “behavioural” violence such as war, bullying,

domestic violence

4. Indirect violence (Structural Violence) – often unconscious; structural violence results

from unjust and inequitable social and economic structures and manifesting itself in for
example, poverty and deprivation of all kinds.

5. Cultural violence - the devaluing and destruction of particular human identities and
ways of life, the violence of sexism, ethnocentrism, racism and colonial ideologies, and
other forms of moral exclusion that rationalise aggression, domination, inequity, and
oppression. (Council of Europe, 2017)

Typology of Violence

The WRVH also presents a typology of violence that, while not uniformly accepted,
can be a useful way to understand the contexts in which violence occurs and the interactions
between types of violence. This typology distinguishes four modes in which violence may be
inflicted: physical; sexual; and psychological attack; and deprivation. It further divides the
general definition of violence into three sub-types according to the victim-perpetrator
relationship.

Self-directed violence refers to

violence in which the perpetrator and
the victim are the same individual and
is subdivided into self-abuse and
suicide.

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Interpersonal violence refers to violence

between individuals, and is subdivided into
family and intimate partner violence and
community violence. The former category
includes child maltreatment; intimate partner
violence; and elder abuse, while the latter is
broken down into acquaintance and stranger
violence and includes youth violence; assault by
strangers; violence related to property crimes;
and violence in workplaces and other
institutions.

Collective violence refers to violence

committed by larger groups of
individuals and can be subdivided
into social, political and economic
violence.

Picture from washintontimes.org

Causes of Violence
Violence cannot be attributed to a single factor. Its causes are complex and occur at
different levels. The following four-level version of the socio-ecological is often used in the
study of violence:

a. Personal - the first level identifies biological and personal factors that influence how
individuals behave and increase their likelihood of becoming a victim or perpetrator
of violence:

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- Such as demographic characteristics (age, education, income), personality

disorders, substance abuse, and a history of experiencing, witnessing, or
engaging in violent behaviour.

b. Family or friends - the second level focuses

on close relationships, such as those with
family and friends.
- In youth violence, for example, having
friends who engage in or encourage
violence can increase a young person’s
risk of being a victim or perpetrator of
violence. Picture from clipartpanda.com

- For intimate partner violence, a consistent marker at this level of the model is
marital conflict or discord in the relationship.
- In elder abuse, important factors are stress due to the nature of the past
relationship between the abused person and the care giver.

c. Community - the third level explores the

community context — i.e., schools,
workplaces, and neighbourhoods.
- Risk at this level may be affected by
factors such as the existence of a local drug
trade, the absence of social networks, and
concentrated poverty.
Picture from the educatoronline.com

d. Society - Societal factors that help to create a climate in which violence is encouraged
or inhibited:
- The responsiveness of the criminal justice system, social and cultural norms
regarding gender roles or parent-child relationships, income inequality, the
strength of the social welfare system, the social acceptability of violence, the
availability of firearms, the exposure to violence in mass media, and political
instability.

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Problems of violence

1. Families edging out of poverty and investing in schooling their sons and daughters
can be ruined through the violent death or severe disability of the main breadwinner.
2. Communities can be caught in poverty traps where pervasive violence and
deprivation form an unpleasant circle that restricts economic growth.
3. For societies, meeting the direct costs of health, criminal justice, and social welfare
responses to violence diverts many billions of dollars from more constructive societal
spending.
4. In countries with high levels of violence, economic growth can be slowed down,
personal and collective security eroded, and social development impeded.
5. The much larger indirect costs of violence due to lost productivity and lost investment
in education work together to slow economic development, increase socio-economic
inequality, and erode human and social capital.

Approaches to Violence and Violence Prevention

Criminal justice approach

 The criminal justice approach sees its main task as enforcing laws that proscribe
violence and ensuring that "justice is done".
 The notions of individual blame, responsibility, guilt, and culpability are central to
criminal justice's approach to violence and one of the criminal justice system's main
tasks is to "do justice",
 i.e. to ensure that offenders are properly identified, that the degree of their guilt is as
accurately ascertained as possible, and that they are punished appropriately.
 To prevent and respond to violence, the criminal justice approach relies primarily on
deterrence, incarceration and the punishment and rehabilitation of perpetrators

The Human Rights Approach

 The Human rights approach is based on the obligations of states to respect, protect
and fulfil human rights and therefore to prevent, eradicate and punish violence.
 It recognizes violence as a violation of many human rights: the rights to life, liberty,
autonomy and security of the person; the rights to equality and non-discrimination;

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the rights to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or
punishment; the right to privacy; and the right to the highest attainable standard of
health.

Prevention of Violence
A rigorous review of the literature on the effectiveness of strategies to prevent
interpersonal violence identified as being supported by either strong or emerging evidence
for effectiveness. These strategies target risk factors at all four levels of the ecological model.

1. Developing safe, stable and good relationships between children and their parents
and caregivers
- This will actually help in reducing convictions and violent acts in adolescence
and early adulthood, and probably help decrease intimate partner violence
and self-directed violence in later life.
2. Developing life skills in children and adolescents
- Evidence shows that the life-skills acquired in social development
programmes can reduce involvement in violence, improve social skills, boost
educational achievement and improve job prospects. Life skills refer to social,
emotional, and behavioural competencies which help children and
adolescents effectively deal with the challenges of everyday life.
3. Reducing the availability and harmful use of alcohol. Evidence is emerging that
violence may be prevented by:
- Reducing the availability of alcohol (e.g. by restricting hour or days of sale and
raising alcohol prices);
- Brief interventions and longer-term treatment for problem drinkers;
- Improving the management of environments where alcohol is served (e.g.
reducing crowding, increasing comfort levels, improving physical design and
staff training).
4. Reducing access to guns or harmful items
- Evidence emerging suggests that limiting access to firearms can prevent
homicides and injuries and reduce the costs of these forms of violence to
society.

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- There is some evidence, for example, to suggest that jurisdictions with

restrictive firearms legislation and lower firearms ownership tend to have
lower levels of gun violence
5. Other than this, we have to develop our self-control.
- We have to create our own ethical way and bath for peaceful life.
- No anger, Hatred and enmity, control mind, Love and kindness, Practicing
Yoga, Truth and Non-violence (Prevention of Violence)

Test Yourself
Exercise 4: Enumeration: write down the words/statements that are asked in each number.
1. Give at least five (5) forms of indirect/structural violence:

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

2. Enumerate the effects of violence in a society? (Give at least 3).

a.
b.
c.

3. What are the two basic features of human rights approach to violence?

a.
b.

4. What are the ways to prevent violence in the society? (Give 5)

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

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Exercise 5: Matching Type: Match the terms in Set A with the correct definition or
explanation in Set B. Write the letter that corresponds to your answer before each number.

SET A SET B

1. Violence a. An approach to violence which sees its main task as

enforcing laws that proscribe violence and ensuring
2. Organized that "justice is done".
Violence b. Risk at this level may be affected by factors such as the
existence of a local drug trade, the absence of social
3. Direct Violence
networks, and concentrated poverty
4. Structural c. The first level identifies biological and demographic
Violence characteristics (age, education, and income), etc.
d. The second level focuses on close relationships which
5. Self-directed influences the person to violent behaviours
Violence e. Approach is based on the obligations of states to
6. Interpersonal respect, protect and fulfil human rights
f. Refers to violence between individuals, and is
References: Violence subdivided into family and intimate partner violence
7. Social Factors and community violence.
g. Usually done by an individual or groups in a
8. Community spontaneous includes wife battering, rape, child abuse
Factors and street crime.
9. Collective h. Refers to violence in which the perpetrator and the
Violence victim are the same individual and is subdivided into
self-abuse and suicide.
10. Cultural i. “behavioural” violence such as war, bullying, domestic
Violence violence
j. the devaluing and destruction of particular human
11. Personal identities and ways of life, the violence of sexism,
factors ethnocentrism, racism and colonial ideologies, and
12. Family and other forms of moral exclusion
Friends factors k. Results from unjust and inequitable social and
economic structures and manifesting itself in for
13.Unorganized example, poverty and deprivation of all kinds.
Violence l. humanly inflicted harm
m. refers to war that occurs between states or within a
14. Criminal state
Justice n. Refers to violence committed by larger groups of
Approach individuals and can be subdivided into social, political
and economic violence.
15.Human Rights
o. factors that help to create a climate in which violence is
Approach
encouraged or inhibited by the responsiveness of the
criminal justice system, social and cultural norms.

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Answer Me

From the lessons earlier, give an elaboration on your viewpoints on the

questions below. Please refer to our rubrics to be guided on how to
present your answers:

In your own understanding, how can violence affect the

relationships among family members? Elaborate your answer.
How can you reduce violence against nature in your own
community, particularly in your purok?
Evidences show that learning life skills among children and
adolescent can reduce their involvement in violence and develop
other skills and values. If you are to learn one very important life
skill, what would it be and how do you think this life skills will
contribute to your peaceful living? Follow the format:
a. The life skill I want to learn/develop. (description)
b. Why I want to learn it? (rationale)
c. How can it contribute to peaceful living? (relate to Peace
and Development)

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References:

Balamurugan, J. (2019). Violence and Its Prevention. Retrieved from

https://www.slideshare.net/DrJBalamuruganPhD/violence-157725388. July 24, 2020.

Council of Europe (2017). Peace and Violence. Compass: A Manual for Human Rights Education with
Young People. Retrieved from https://www.coe.int/en/web/compass/peace-and-violence. July
21, 2020

Krug E, Dahlberg L, Mercy J.et alWorld report on violence and health. Geneva: World Health
Organization, 2002

Violence Prevention Alliance (n.d.). Definition and Typology of Violence. Global Campaign for Violence
Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/violenceprevention/approach/definition/en/ July
21,2020

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