Aiming for the Right Thing: Collaboration for Armed Violence Prevention

Aiming for the Right Thing: Collaboration for Armed Violence Prevention Dr David Meddings Department of Injuries and Violence Prevention World Health Organization

Violence is socially determined, and the prevention of violence requires acting on social determinants Acting on social determinants requires collaboration

“ Fundamentally, little of this is genuinely new. Rather, the picture emerging from social epidemiology and research on violence and inequality is a rediscovery of a truth that many people once recognized intuitively. Hard data and statistical analysis now show that inequality is indeed socially corrosive.” Richard Wilkinson. Why is Violence More Common Where Inequality is Greater? Wilkinson R. Why is Violence More Common Where Inequality is Greater? Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1036: 1–12 (2004). 2004 New York Academy of Sciences.

Diadema, Brazil: Alcohol sales Municipal law (no alcohol sales after 23h) Public education/participation Alcohol retailer education Active, equitable, honest enforcement Progressive administrative penalties Prevention of Murders in Diadema, Brazil: The Influence of New Alcohol Policies. The Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. October, 2004. Over first 24 months: Estimated 273 murders averted (95% CI, 208 - 338) Estimated 216 assaults on women averted

Social skill development Early childhood intervention Teacher training classroom management Parent training behaviour management Child social and emotional skill development Hawkins JD et al. In TP Thornberry and MD Krohn (Eds). Taking Stock of Delinquency. An overview of findings from contemporary longitudinal studies. New York. Plenum 2003. Relative to controls youth at age 18: 12% increase in school completion 19% reduction in lifetime violence 19% reduction in lifetime sex partners 38% reduction in heavy alcohol use

Ecological model and violence prevention: entry points and interventions Adapted from Mercy JA, Mack KA, Steenkamp M. Changing the social environment to prevent injuries. In Doll LS, Bonzo SE, Mercy JA, Sleet DA. (eds.) Handbook of Injury and Violence Prevention. New York, NY: Springer, 2006. Social skill development; emotional skill development Parents; educational system Individual Legislation; health communication, social marketing; access to lethal means and alcohol; penalizing harmful and risky behaviours National governments; intersectoral government mechanisms; development assistance agencies; bilateral donors; public corporate partnerships Societal Social support networks; poverty deconcentration; community institutions; promotion of social integration Community leaders; urban planning departments; national governments; international agencies, development assistance agencies and PRSPs Community Parenting-training programmes; mentoring programmes; home visitation programmes; early childhood education; social skill development Parents; community leaders; educational system Relationship Interventions Entry points Ecological level

Adapted from Mercy JA, Mack KA, Steenkamp M. Changing the social environment to prevent injuries. In Doll LS, Bonzo SE, Mercy JA, Sleet DA. (eds.) Handbook of Injury and Violence Prevention. New York, NY: Springer, 2006. Ecological model and violence prevention: entry points and interventions Social skill development; emotional skill development Parents; educational system Individual Legislation; health communication, social marketing; access to lethal means and alcohol; penalizing harmful and risky behaviours National governments; intersectoral government mechanisms; development assistance agencies; bilateral donors; public corporate partnerships Societal Social support networks; poverty deconcentration; community institutions; promotion of social integration Community leaders; urban planning departments; national governments; international agencies, development assistance agencies and PRSPs Community Parenting-training programmes; mentoring programmes; home visitation programmes; early childhood education; social skill development Parents; community leaders; educational system Relationship Interventions Entry points Ecological level

10 “best buys” in violence prevention:

Increase safe, stable, and nurturing relationships between children and their parents

Reduce availability and misuse of alcohol

Reduce access to lethal means

Improve life skills and enhance opportunities for children and youth

Promote gender equality and empower women

10 “best buys” in violence prevention:

Change cultural norms that support violence

Improve criminal justice systems

Improve social welfare systems

Reduce social distance between conflicting groups

Reduce economic inequality and concentrated poverty.

Challenges to collaboration:

Balancing the desirability for greater coordination with the reality of differing perspectives, mandates, and orientations to addressing the problem of armed violence.