Botswana becoming 'bloody' by the day
There is no day that goes by without reports of violence. Could it be true that indeed we are just a violent nation, and there might be no reason to segregate violence into categories like gender-based violence?
Daily news reports are not only presenting violence as a permanent feature of communities but also causes societies to grow numb to even the most heinous atrocities. Nowadays violence is reported everywhere, in family relationships, in schools, unproved murders in places of entertainment, sexual abuse and bullying. It has become a common occurrence for a parent to murder their child, and for a child to murder their parent. And what is obvious is that violence takes more forms than physical blows or wounds. It includes neglect, verbal attacks, insults, threats, harassment and other psychological abuses.
Could this mean that as human beings we by nature have violent and aggressive tendencies? Or is violence a learnt behavior? While there is some acknowledgement that violence has always been part of human nature, modern society has never experienced as much violence as today. What went wrong?
Experts say all efforts to address violence in a society must recognise that there are two broad categories of prevention: primary and secondary. Primary interventions aim to prevent violence from occurring at all, and it is reasonable to expect that these will have to be tailored for each of the violent forms identified previously. Secondary measures in contrast, are directed at preventing those violent individuals who are already at risk of becoming violent perpetrators. It is still not well understood, however, as to what the major factors predisposing people to violence actually are.
Social biological approaches suggest that poor cognitive, emotional and social development is the most important underlying factor. Secondary preventive measures consist of efforts designed to prevent people who are at risk from becoming violent from actually perpetrating violence.
We might not be able to control with any precision the rearing that people receive or their life experiences, but we can explore how nurturing parent or family behavior as well as good educational policies can help prevent the development of violent behavior in the first place.
Some commentators have promoted emotional intelligence as one effective way to deal with such societal challenges. Emotional Intelligence is the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage and handle or control emotions. They are convinced that when one has developed their emotional intelligence, they will be able to make the right decisions no matter how difficult and pressing the situation they are in, is.
The achievement of a violence-free society requires a proactive process, which originates in the community. The basis of this process is the empowerment of community members to set priorities, make decisions, and plan and implement strategies to address violence. Community action must ensure the full participation of community members regardless of their socio-economic status, gender, race, culture, age or sexual orientation.
Daily news reports are not only presenting violence as a permanent feature of communities but also causes societies to grow numb to even the most heinous atrocities. Nowadays violence is reported everywhere, in family relationships, in schools, unproved murders in places of entertainment, sexual abuse and bullying. It has become a common occurrence for a parent to murder their child, and for a child to murder their parent. And what is obvious is that violence takes more forms than physical blows or wounds. It includes neglect, verbal attacks, insults, threats, harassment and other psychological abuses.
Could this mean that as human beings we by nature have violent and aggressive tendencies? Or is violence a learnt behavior? While there is some acknowledgement that violence has always been part of human nature, modern society has never experienced as much violence as today. What went wrong?
Experts say all efforts to address violence in a society must recognise that there are two broad categories of prevention: primary and secondary. Primary interventions aim to prevent violence from occurring at all, and it is reasonable to expect that these will have to be tailored for each of the violent forms identified previously. Secondary measures in contrast, are directed at preventing those violent individuals who are already at risk of becoming violent perpetrators. It is still not well understood, however, as to what the major factors predisposing people to violence actually are.
Social biological approaches suggest that poor cognitive, emotional and social development is the most important underlying factor. Secondary preventive measures consist of efforts designed to prevent people who are at risk from becoming violent from actually perpetrating violence.
We might not be able to control with any precision the rearing that people receive or their life experiences, but we can explore how nurturing parent or family behavior as well as good educational policies can help prevent the development of violent behavior in the first place.
Some commentators have promoted emotional intelligence as one effective way to deal with such societal challenges. Emotional Intelligence is the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage and handle or control emotions. They are convinced that when one has developed their emotional intelligence, they will be able to make the right decisions no matter how difficult and pressing the situation they are in, is.
The achievement of a violence-free society requires a proactive process, which originates in the community. The basis of this process is the empowerment of community members to set priorities, make decisions, and plan and implement strategies to address violence. Community action must ensure the full participation of community members regardless of their socio-economic status, gender, race, culture, age or sexual orientation.
