Understanding Peace and Violence

Holistic Understanding of Peace and Violence

• Peace means dignity and well- being for all, not just the absence of war
• Peace can be expressed in many ways, because all aspects of human life resolves around order or harmony
• The common definition of peace is societal friendship and harmony free of hostility and violence.

Social Sense of Peace

• This is defined as a lack of conflict and freedom from any violence between individuals
• Governments and world leaders use peacemaking and diplomacy to ensure behavioral restraints
• The aim is to reduce conflicts, create greater economy interactivity, and substantial prosperity
• Peace is a state of law, civil government, justice, goodness, balance, and equilibrium of powers

Psychological Perspective of Peace

• This is considered important in establishing behavioral peace
• Peaceful behavior sometimes result from a peaceful inner disposition
• It is believed that by having a sense of inner peacefulness, peace can be initiated
• Peace is viewed as peace of mind or serenity
• A peaceful person can contribute to resolving issues, in turn spreading peace

Secular Perspectives on Peace and Violence

• Peace is merely the absence of war or direct violence (Hugo Grotius)
• Peace was the absence of death and destruction due to war and physical/ direct violence (Thee, 1982)
• Peace is more or less lasting suspension of violent rivalry modes between political units (Raymond Aron)

Shift in the Concept of Peace

• There is a shift of attention of violence from direct violence to indirect violence or structural violence (1960s)
• Structural violence causes sufferings and even death to a great population
• It is commonly shown by extreme poverty, starvation, poor health services, and discrimination against the minority
• The conditions eventually leads to conflicts and unpeaceful living in communities

Holistic Concept of Peace and Violence

• Eradicating all facets of injustices in order to achieve peace
• The uneven distribution of wealth, resources and the discrimination on power must be stopped in society
• The concept of peace necessarily involves environmental protection
• Earth is a source of survival, physical sustenance, health, and wealth, and without it many forms of conflict may arise

Resources Threat Lifestyles

• Shortage of resources threatens lifestyles, and rivalry for resources can lead to aggression and violent conflict

Institute for Economics & Peace

• It has assembled a significant body of research on Positive Peace
• Pillars of Peace framework consists of 8 factors that contribute to high levels of peace when present in society
• It also has statistical connection with social inclusion, environmental measures, adaptibility, wellbeing, and GDP growth
• Countries with high levels of peace tend to be resilient to external shocks
• Peace means the absence of violence in all forms and the unfolding of conflict in a constructive way

Pillars of Peace Framework

• Well-functioning government
• Sound business environment
• Equitable distribution of resources
• Acceptance of the rights of others
• Good relations with neighbors
• Free flow of information
• High level of human capital
• Low levels of corruption

Levels of Peace

• Personal Peace: A state of calm, serenity, and tranquility of mind that arise due to having no sufferings or mental disturbances
• Domestic Peace: A peace that comes from mutual respect among family members; mutual assistance among members of the family and household
• Inter-Personal Peace: Peace involves acceptance of differences and diversity among people; resolving disagreements and conflicts non-violently, with dialog

Values: Respect with other persons, Justice, tolerance, cooperation

• Social/National Peace: Peace is respect, trust, love and understanding of people of Different Social Groups (Religion, Ethnic Background and Social Status)
• International Peace: Respect for the culture and way of life of other races
• Environmental Peace: Peace examines and advocates environmental protection and cooperation as a factor in creating more peaceful relations; respect for the environment

Defining 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
• Violence takes over 1.5 million lives annually, 50% due to suicide, 35% due to homicide, and 12% as a result of war
• Peace educators define violence as humanly inflicted harm
• Violence can be categorized as direct (physical violence) and indirect (structural violence)
• While Birgit Brock-Utne (1989), notes that violence can be categorized as organized or unorganized

Typology of Violence

• There are four modes in which violence may be inflicted: physical, sexual, psychological attack, and deprivation divided into the victim-perpetrator relationship

Organized Violence

• A type of violence referring to war that occurs between states or within a state.

Unorganized Violence

• This is usually done by an individual or groups; this is a spontaneous which includes wife battering, rape, child abuse, and street crime.

Direct/Physical Violence

• "Behavioural" violence such as war, bullying, domestic violence

Indirect Violence

• Often unconscious structural violence results from unjust and inequitable social and economic structures
• It manifest itself in poverty and deprivation of all kinds

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

Violence

• 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
• Interpersonal violence refers to violence between individuals, and is subdivided into family and intimate partner violence and community violence
• Collective violence refers to violence committed by larger groups of individuals and can be subdivided into social, political and economic violence

Ecological Model of Violences

• Personal identifies biological and personal factors influencing behavior and victimization
• Family and friends second level focuses on close relationships like family and friends
• Community explores community context (schools and neighborhoods)
• Society - Societal factors that help to create a climate in which violence is encouraged or inhibited

Problems of Violence

• Families edging out of poverty and investing in education can be ruined by the main breadwinner's violent death / disability
• Communities are caught in poverty traps where pervasive violence restrict restrictions economic growth
• Justice, health, and welfare responses diverts many billions away from more more constructive spending

Causes to Violence

• Economic growth is slowed, personal and collective security is eroded, and social development is impeded
• The much larger indirect costs of violence due to lost productivity and lost investment

Criminal Justice Approach

• Enforcing laws regarding violence ensuring justice is done and identifying as accurately as possible and punish appropriately
• To prevent and respond violence, relies primarily on deterrence, incarceration and rehabilitation of perpetrators

Human Rights Approach

• Approach is based on the obligations based to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights and therefore to prevent, eradicate, and punish violence
• The approach recognizes the rights to life, liberty and security

Prevention of Violence

• Developing safe, stable relationships will help reduce convictions and acts of violence
• Evidence shows that life skills help to reduce violence involvement
• Reducing the availability and harmful alcohol and limiting access to firearms can prevent homicides and violence

Knowledge

• Holistic view on peace and how to solve violence

Skills

• Refliction, critical skills and analysis

Atittudes

• Self peace and respect respect