Definition of Violence
Violence is described as the deliberate use of physical force or control, whether threatening or actual, against oneself, another individual, or a group or society, which results in or has a high probability of resulting in injury, death, psychological damage, maldevelopment, or deprivation (World Health Organization). Violence may also be described as the use of physical force to harm, threaten, or damage things, as well as the manifestation of strong feelings or emotions (Merriam Webster).
Forms of Abuse
There are many forms of abuse in society. There is physical assault in the form of attacking someone, which causes injuries to the victim. Sexual violence which can be in the form of rape, denying the victim the right to using contraceptives or forcing the victim to engage in sex without using protection. There is also self-directed violence which involves one committing suicide or attempted suicide. Self-directed violence is aimed at oneself and results in harm or death to oneself. Economic violence is the controlling of one’s ability to acquire, use and maintain resources. Economic violence is mostly perpetrated by those in power by grabbing land that belongs to the poor and weak in the society or hoarding goods so that the price of those commodities increases. Emotional violence is perpetrated by hurling insults at someone or making one feel that they are not good at doing anything hence lowering the victim’s self-esteem.
Causes of Violence
Violence is caused by several factors. When one is hurt by another person through physical or emotional abuse, one tends to build up anxieties which makes one reiterate through violence when one is confronted by a little provocation. A person who has not been allowed to release his/her emotions tends to build up emotions of anger and bitterness. This unresolved and unexpressed emotions build up to a great level and one feels appropriate to release the emotions through perpetuating violence against others or oneself (Doctor Aletha Solter). In modern times there has been glorification of violence through production of numerous films with violence themes or scenes. Thus, when children start viewing these programs at that young age, they think that violence is a good means of solving conflicts or it makes them look brave and strong. The influence of watching those violent films, children grow up with the mentality that violence is just a normal thing in the society.
History of Violence
Violence stems from way back as far as the eighteenth century. Some people have used Christianity as a means of justifying why there is violence till date. There are biblical instances where there were wars between different groups. In the bible Samuel says to Saul “Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them, put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.”(1 Samuel 15:1-3). In the book of Revelation it is depicted that during the end times there will be lots of violence and the world will be chaotic. Some people associate the eruption of violence around the world as a sign that the end times are near. During the early years of Christianity the Christians were hostile against those who practiced the Judaism religion. The Jews were seen as outcasts and evil people since they did not follow the Christian doctrines. Later on, the hostility between the Jews and Gentiles has since died down.
World Wars
In the year 1914 the First world War begun. The war was triggered by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. The assassination of the Archduke set off rivalry between the Kingdom of Serbia and Austria who begun fighting. Within a few weeks the war had spread to to other parts of the world. The war had two opposing alliances. There was the Triple entente or allies who comprised of Britain, France, Serbia and Belgium while the Central powers was comprised of Germany and Austria-Hungary. The Alllies were defeated when the Russian Government collapsed in 1917 due to the invasion by the Central powers. The war finally ended in 1919. During the Paris Conference in 1919, Britain, France, Italy and the United States set up terms that led to the formation of the League of Nations to prevent a repeat of the conflict. The League of Nations did not succeed in its mandate to prevent the eruption of another war. In 1939 the Second World War erupted due to economic depression and the humiliation that Germany faced after World War one. During the Second World War the participants of the fight had better scientific, economic and industrial capabilities. The Axis camp comprised of Germany, Italy and Japan. The Allies camp comprised of France and Britain. The Hallmark of the war was the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 by the United States. After the end of the Second World War the United Nations was formed to help foster co-operation and prevent future conflicts. Since 1945 the United Nation has been operating till date to help foster peace in the world, through holding mediation talks between conflicting countries and sending the United Nation troops to war torn countries in order to restore peace.
Contemporary Violence
As time progressed there are new methods of violence such as terrorism which has gained ground in the past few years. Terrorists use threats, intimidation and fear to force people to accept their religious ideologies. Terrorists are currently the ones who pose a lot of threat to world peace and security. Most of the terrorist groups are famous for bombing building, kidnapping people or holding ships hostage in the high seas. Many parts of the world are faced with terrorist attacks from time to time from Paris to the United States and many more.
Consequences of Violence
Violence has lots of consequences. At no point should anyone use violence to solve issues or get whatever they want because violence has no merits. Violence has devastating effects on the victim of the violence and to the society at large. Emotional, sexual and physical violence result to psychological trauma of the victim. The victims of these types of violence need to go through counselling in order to forget whatever abuse they went through. Wars cause economic loss, family disruption and social disruption. During wars a lot of property is destroyed leading to huge economic losses since the destroyed property is worth billions of shillings and will cost a lot of money to repair the destroyed property after the war ends. Economic loss is also experienced by business owners and merchants who cannot conduct their business in the hostile war torn areas, thus no sales are made and the economy deteriorates. People flee for safety during war thus leading to many people being displaced from their places of residence and becoming refugees in their own countries or in neighboring countries. During this time that people are fleeing for safety, some families are separated leading to children being left on their own at such difficult times. Violence at times results in death of the victims. Sometimes physical violence can result to injuries that lead to the death of the victim. War is the major contributor of death among the different types of violence. During the war many civilians and innocent people are killed, also those participating in the war lose their lives in the battlefield.
Responsibility to Prevent Violence
Everyone has the responsibility to ensure that wherever they stay is free from violence or has minimal incidences of violence. Violence should not be used as an easier route to solve arguments and conflicts, instead mediation should be embraced.
