Inception Of Violence For World Health Organization

Cultural Beliefs and Domestic Violence

Discuss about the Inception of Violence for World Health Organization.

Violence is a category of activity prevailing in the society and its analysis is an important part of the society. Every society and country is affected by the acts of violence. It tears the fabric of the community and scourge tears, threatens life and human health. According to World Health Organization report on ‘Violence and Health’, every year about 1.6 million people are affected by acts of violence worldwide. It is one of the major causes of death worldwide. The age group of 15-44 is mostly affected contributing 14% of males and 7% of female deaths due to violence (Pahl 2016). Keeping in mind the global harm caused to human health, I, as a Registered Nurse, writing this report for my colleagues to understand the foundations of violence and the major issues including social aspects contributing to violence. The violence is deep rooted into the society. The complex conditions of racism, poverty, low health care, joblessness are the causes that drive the violence in our society. Anger, depression, low self-esteem, dependence and personality disorders are also some of the factors that motivate violence.

The cultural beliefs, social norms and economic condition contribute to the violence in the society. The inter-personal, financial and social pressures are also some of the factors that provoke violent behavior resulting in social violence (Fiske and Taylor 2013). The economic distress, improper family functioning, racial discriminations and alcohol or drug abuse are social problems that result in violence. It also takes into account the verbal abuse and bullying that evokes violence.

The cultural and social norms support violence in different forms. The child maltreatment, partner violence, suicide and self- harm are the problems emerging violence. The cultural contexts give rise to gender-based violence. The gender inequalities, unequal distribution of power leads to domestic violence. The female children hold a low status in family and within the society. They have less economic and social importance and they are considered less powerful in family (Tilly 2015). The females are considered passive and have less importance in decision-making process. In our society, man holds more power and is socially more powerful than women are. The men have the right to control women through physical assault and therefore are vulnerable to physical violence and abuse.

There are also some strong evidences regarding the alcohol abuse and domestic violence. The continuous alcohol consumption could cause imbalances in the cognition leading to impaired physical functioning and causes an individual to become less negotiable in a conversation leading to physical abuse (Pickard and Fazel 2013). It cascades many factors of financial, childcare problems and other family problems. The conflicts between partners also lead to consumption of alcohol leading to violence in the family. In Australia, 36% of the offenders consumed alcohol at the time of incidence (Hildebrand et al. 2013). There is a cultural belief that alcohol consumption is a sign of masculinity. The impact of alcohol abuse and violence has devastating effects. The physical injuries, emotional distress leading to depression and suicidal attempt. The domestic violence also gives rise to disparity in children’s development.

Alcohol Abuse

The children who are subjected to violence at home suffer from depression, anxiety and are dominated by fear. This leads to psychological and emotional trauma that hampers their upbringing. As a result, they perform poorly in their academics leading to lack of motivation, prevailing emotional distress and susceptible to violence (Campo et al. 2015). Peer pressure also lead to violence among the teenagers. The teenagers are not mature enough to take rightful decisions, therefore, they are pressurized to involve in illegal activities. Negative peer groups influencing adolescents to indulge in many activities like shoplifting, smoking and drug abuse. The main reason for this violence is the feeling of isolation. They feel left out in a peer group so they indulge themselves in illegal activities. They are at their developing age, so positive support is required to shape them in a rightful direction.

The economic burden is the major cause of violence in the society. The combination of education level, income and type of occupation determines the socio-economic status. The inequalities of distribution of wealth, access to resources, power and status drives violence at workplace and society as a whole. The low income, disparities in the economic status in the society, poverty and joblessness are the reasons contributing to violence (Muggah 2012). The low income and poverty compels an individual to indulge in anti-social activities for monetary benefits. This increases violence and aggression among youth.

People struggle to come over their poverty and in the course of doing that they are beaten, harassed, imprisoned or robbed. The stronger people in the society suppress the poor people that lead to offensive behavior and violent attitude in them (Pogge 2013). The poor uneducated people are more vulnerable to criminal offenses and are forced to take part in theft and drug related abuse. The jealousy among people over money and status are also considered the causes of violence. The unemployment is another major cause of violence in the society. The increasing poverty are compelling the individuals to indulge in big crimes resulting in participation in terrorist activities. They are influenced by anti-social activities and they find it a way to gain monitory benefit.

Violence is also observed at workplace. The violent behavior among the colleagues or with the boss due to injustice provokes violent attitude. There are also issues regarding the promotion, pay rise or provoking a person’s ego that influences violent scenario. The workplace violence is an emerging problem faced by employees nationwide. The issues regarding ego, jealousy and unequal distribution of resources among the employees create a hostile attitude in them leading to workplace aggression and violence (Bartol and Bartol 2014). The employees are susceptible to verbal abuse, rumors, arguments, harassment leading to psychological trauma.

Poverty and Violence

The women are subjected to violence at a large scale. According to World Health Organization, 1 in 3 women suffer from domestic and physical violence (Smart 2013). They suffer from physical, emotional and psychological trauma. There is also violence arising due to personality disorders. The people are driven to unsocial behavior leading to criminal activities.

Violence is a big issue emerging in the society deeply rooted into our cultural beliefs, the social norms and the economic burden prevailing in our society. The socio-economic factors along with problems in personal attitude also add to the violence in the society. The domestic violence is one of the major concerns prevalent in our society. The low empowerment of women, low educational status, traditional beliefs, and women suppressed due to male autonomy, early marriage is the main reported causes of domestic violence. They are affected physically as well as psychologically. Alcohol abuse is also a major reason for domestic violence. There is a need of hike in the price of alcohol and should be banned. The domestic violence needs to be dealt at the national level. The government should organize educational and awareness programs for both men and women by doctors, nurses, psychologists and different non-governmental organizations. The women should have equal opportunities of employment and education. The poverty is also a reason for domestic violence. The adolescents are being indulged in illegal activities due to joblessness and low income. They should be properly educated, employed and counseled to be on the right path. The implication of strict laws to deal with the violence at workplace and should provide unbiased environment. The management committee should analyze the worksite with safety training; program implementation and its updated evaluation are some of the ways to reduce violence at workplace. As a nurse, I think the above mentioned recommendations in collaboration with the society would help to eradicate the vicious cycle of violence from the society.

References

Bartol, A.M. and Bartol, C.R., 2014. Criminal behavior: A psychological approach. Boston: Pearson, c2014. xxiii, 644 pages: illustrations; 24 cm..

Campo, M., Kaspiew, R., Moore, S. and Tayton, S., 2015. Children affected by domestic and family violence: A review of domestic and family violence prevention, early intervention and response services. Rae.

Fiske, S.T. and Taylor, S.E., 2013. Social cognition: From brains to culture. Sage.

Hildebrand, J., Maycock, B., Howat, P., Burns, S., Allsop, S., Dhaliwal, S. and Lobo, R., 2013. Investigation of alcohol-related social norms among youth aged 14–17 years in Perth, Western Australia: protocol for a respondent-driven sampling study. BMJ open, 3(10), p.e003870.

Muggah, R., 2012. Researching the urban dilemma: urbanization, poverty and violence. Ottawa: International Development Research Centre.

Pahl, J. ed., 2016. Private violence and public policy: The needs of battered women and the response of the public services. Routledge.

Pickard, H. and Fazel, S., 2013. Substance abuse as a risk factor for violence in mental illness: some implications for forensic psychiatric practice and clinical ethics. Current opinion in psychiatry, 26(4), p.349.

Pogge, T., 2013. Poverty and violence. Law, Ethics and Philosophy, 1, pp.87-111.

Smart, C., 2013. Women, Crime and Criminology (Routledge Revivals): A Feminist Critique. Routledge.

Tilly, C., 2015. Identities, boundaries and social ties. Routledge.