Violence Reduction Research Articles

Effects and Mechanisms of CEO Quality in Public Education

Abstract ‘CEOs’ of public schools in many countries have authority and responsibilities that can greatly affect the quality of schooling. This paper estimates the impact of CEOs on student outcomes in Israeli elementary schools. We estimate CEO quality in two ways—once using schools that do not switch CEOs and once using schools that do. We show that switches are exogenous and are not correlated with potential outcomes. CEO quality positively affects students’ test scores and behavioural outcomes, with pronounced effects for disadvantaged schools. Potential mechanisms show that high-quality CEOs lead to improvements in school priorities, working procedures and violence reduction.

Upaya Memulihkan Hak-hak Perempuan: FIAP Kanada dalam Upaya Penurunan Gender-Based Violence di Afghanistan

Canada as a country highly committed to promoting gender equality and women's empowerment, launched the Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) in 2017 under the leadership of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) is a feminist-based foreign policy that focuses on gender equality and women's empowerment. In this case, FIAP's foreign policy is considered to be the best solution for Canada to overcome existing poverty and inequality. Afghanistan is one of the target countries for receiving Canadian FIAP assistance. Given the high percentage of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) phenomena and discrimination in Afghanistan, Canada is also trying to help reduce the level of GBV and discrimination in Afghanistan through the FIAP policy program. With this the author is interested in identifying various forms of cooperation carried out by Canada and Afghanistan in efforts to combat gender-based violence in Afghanistan, as well as explaining how a feminist perspective views Canadian FIAP policies. The scope of this research is during the period of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government from 2018 to 2020. This research uses qualitative methods to explain how feminist-based foreign policies can affect the level of reduction of gender-based violence, and uses congruent methods as an analytical technique. The theory of liberal feminism, Gender-Based Violence, the concept of Gender Equality, Gender Mainstreaming, and Feminist Foreign Policy will be used in this research as a knife of analysis. The results of the study show that with the Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) as a manifestation of liberal feminism, Canada will promote gender equality and empower women through various existing programs and policies so that it can have an impact on reducing the level of gender-based violence in Afghanistan.

Licensed firearm dealers, legal compliance, and local homicide: A case study

AbstractResearch summaryThis study uses a combination of tract‐level and street network‐level analyses to examine: (1) the overall association between federally licensed firearm dealers (FFLs) and homicides, (2) the relationship between dealers with serious violations (such as selling to prohibited buyers or failing to record sales) and homicide, and (3) whether the dealer–homicide association is moderated by community disadvantage. Results replicate and confirm a relationship between dealers and homicides in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Importantly, however, we also find that proximity to noncompliant dealers specifically elevates the risk of lethal violence.Policy implicationsWe detail how a coordinated effort between federal, state, and local agencies to regulate firearm dealers and ensure that legal compliance can be instrumental in reducing gun violence. There is a clear need for increased oversight of gun dealers and more robust policies that hold negligent dealers accountable, including the necessary funding and regulatory manpower to enable regular auditing and support consistent follow‐up for noncompliant dealers. A comprehensive policy framework that supports supply‐side gun violence reduction should include additions to state‐level laws that require record keeping, videotaping and store security, and regular inspection for firearm dealers.

Youth Inclusion Projects and Violence Reduction: Perceptions from the NYS Cohorts Programme in Mathare and Kibera

Abstract This paper seeks to address the connection between economic opportunities and violence prevention, through an in-depth study of the National Youth Service (NYS) Community Cohorts Programme – the biggest youth empowerment programme in Kenya’s recent history. Using field data, it seeks to answer the following question: To what extent did the National Youth Service Community Cohorts Programme in Kenya contribute to violence prevention in the low-income neighborhoods of Mathare and Kibera? Empirically, using the NYS as a case study, the paper will provide new data on the impact of youth programs that simultaneously seek to promote livelihoods and economic opportunities towards dealing with the challenges of violence and exclusion. It will also explore the impact of such projects in reducing violence at the local level. Theoretically, the study will contribute to broader scholarly discussions on youth and violence in Africa, as well as the economic incentives and motivations argument in preventing and reducing violence. Redesigned in 2013, the NYS programme sought to reach thousands of youth in poor urban areas, and by offering them jobs to improve their neighborhoods, the goal was to provide them with a new sense of purpose in their life, and potentially, steer them away from deviant behavior. The NYS initiative is the most ambitious jobs and economic opportunities project for urban and rural youth in Kenya. Given its scale and the resource commitment from the Kenya government, the NYS initiative will continue to be a reference for other youth-focused initiatives and, thus, provides a useful case for the study of the economic opportunities-violence nexus.

An eighteen-year longitudinal examination of school victimization and weapon use in California secondary schools.

School safety has been a major public health issue in the United States and internationally for more than three decades. Many policies and programs have been developed and implemented to prevent school violence, improve the school climate, and increase safety. There are only a few peer-reviewed studies of changes in school violence over time. The study examined changes over time in school victimization, weapon involvement and school climate, comparing change trajectories by gender and race and different change trajectories among schools. A longitudinal study of the biennial California Healthy Kids Survey in secondary schools from 2001 to 2019. The representative sample included 6,219,166 students in grades 7, 9, and 11 (48.8% male) from 3253 schools (66% high schools). All victimization and weapon involvement items had significant and substantial linear reductions. The largest reduction involved being in a physical fight (from 25.4% to 11.0%). There were reductions in weapon involvement (d = 0.46) and victimization (d = 0.38). Biased-based victimization only declined slightly (d = -0.05). School belongingness and safety increased (d = 0.27), adult support increased a small amount (d = 0.05), and student participation declined (d = -0.10). Changes were smallest among White students. Ninety-five percent of the schools showed the same pattern of reductions. The findings are in contrast to the public's concerns that school violence is a growing problem. Reductions in school violence may result from social investment in school safety. A distinction should be made between school shootings and other forms of school violence.

The mental wellbeing of prison staff in England during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

COVID-19 is likely to have had an impact on the mental wellbeing of prison staff because of the high risk for infectious disease outbreaks in prisons and the pre-existing high burden of mental health issues among staff. A cross-sectional study of staff within 26 prisons in England was carried out between 20th July 2020 and 2nd October 2020. Mental wellbeing was measured using the Short-version of Warwick-Edinburgh Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS). Staff wellbeing was compared to that of the English population using indirectly standardised data from the Health Survey for England 2010-13 and a one-sample t-test. Multivariate linear regression modelling explored associations with mental wellbeing score. Two thousand five hundred and thirty-four individuals were included (response rate 22.2%). The mean age was 44 years, 53% were female, and 93% were white. The sample mean SWEMWBS score was 23.84 and the standardised population mean score was 23.57. The difference in means was statistically significant (95% CI 0.09-0.46), but not of a clinically meaningful level. The multivariate linear regression model was adjusted for age category, sex, ethnicity, smoking status, occupation, and prison service region. Higher wellbeing was significantly associated with older age, male sex, Black/Black British ethnicity, never having smoked, working within the health staff team, and working in certain prison regions. Unexpectedly, prison staff wellbeing as measured by SWEMWBS was similar to that of the general population. Reasons for this are unclear but could include the reduction in violence within prisons since the start of the pandemic. Qualitative research across a diverse sample of prison settings would enrich understanding of staff wellbeing within the pandemic.

School-Based Interventions to Prevent Dating and Relationship Violence and Gender-Based Violence: Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

Background. Schools are sites of dating and relationship violence (DRV) and of gender-based violence (GBV) victimization and perpetration. School-based interventions can reach a broad range of students, targeting both individual and group processes that may underpin DRV and GBV. Considering DRV and GBV jointly is important because of their shared etiologies. Comparing the effectiveness of interventions using network meta-analysis (NMA) can support decision-making on optimal resource use. Objectives. To evaluate the comparative effectiveness of school-based interventions for children aged 5 to 18 years on DRV and GBV victimization, perpetration, and related mediators. Search Methods. We searched 21 databases in July 2020 and June 2021, alongside extensive supplementary search methods, including gray literature searches, forward and backward citation chasing, and searches on first and last author names. Selection Criteria. We included randomized-controlled trials of interventions for children of compulsory school age implemented within the school setting, and either partially or wholly aimed at changing DRV or GBV outcomes. Data Collection and Analysis. Pairwise meta-analyses using random-effects robust variance estimation considered intervention effectiveness on DRV and GBV victimization and perpetration using odds ratios, and on mediators (e.g., knowledge and attitudes) using standardized mean differences. Effects were divided into short-term (< 12 months postbaseline) and long-term (≥ 12 months postbaseline). NMAs on victimization and perpetration outcomes compared interventions categorized by breadth of mechanism and complexity of delivery and implementation. Meta-regression tested sensitivity to percentage of girls in the trial sample and country context. Main Results. Our analysis included 68 trials. Evidence was stronger overall for effects on DRV than for GBV, with significant long-term impacts on DRV victimization (odds ratio [OR] = 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.68, 0.99) and DRV perpetration (OR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.64, 0.94). Knowledge and attitudinal effects were predominantly short-term (e.g., for DRV-related violence acceptance, d = 0.16; 95% CI = 0.08, 0.24). NMAs did not suggest the superiority of any intervention type; however, most analyses for GBV outcomes were inconsistent. A higher proportion of girls in the sample was associated with increased effectiveness on long-term victimization outcomes. Author's Conclusions. Evidence is stronger for DRV than for GBV, despite considerable heterogeneity. Certainty of findings was low or very low overall. Public Health Implications. Violence reductions may require more than 1 school year to become apparent. More extensive interventions may not be more effective. A possible reason for stronger effectiveness for DRV is that whereas GBV is ingrained in school cultures and practices, DRV is potentially more open to change via addressing individual knowledge and attitudes. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(3):320-330. https://doi.org/10.2105/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307153).

Effects of verbal violence on job satisfaction, work engagement and the mediating role of emotional exhaustion among healthcare workers: a cross-sectional survey conducted in Chinese tertiary public hospitals

ObjectiveRecently, Chinese ministries and commissions have issued a series of policies and systems in response to violent injuries to doctors, physical violence have been managed to a certain extent. However,...

Cross-National Associations between Age at Marriage and Intimate Partner Violence among Young Women: An Analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys from 48 Countries.

We estimated the associations between age at first marriage and recent intimate partner violence (IPV) among women young women aged 20-24 years using data from demographic and health surveys (DHS) conducted at 48 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We fitted a multilevel logistic regression model controlling for sociodemographic covariates. Our pooled analyses revealed that age at marriage is strongly associated with past year IPV in a non-linear way, with steep reductions in violence when young women marry after age 15 and a continued decline in IPV for every year marriage is delayed up to age 24. The risk of physical IPV was 3.3 times higher among women married at age 15 (24.4%, 95% CI 19.7; 29.2%) compared to young women married at age 24 (7.5%, 95% CI 5.8; 9.2%). For sexual IPV, girls married at 15 had 2.2 times higher risk compared to those married at 24 (7.5%, 95% CI 5.6; 9.5% vs. 3.4%, 95% CI 2.7; 4.2%, respectively). For psychological IPV, the relative risk was 3.4 for the same comparison (married at 15: 20.1%, 95% CI 14.6; married at 24: 25.5% vs. 6.0%, 95% CI 3.4; 8.6%). Country specific analyses showed that, age at marriage was negatively associated with physical and psychological IPV in nearly half of the countries (n/48) and with sexual IPV in ten countries. Our findings underscore the importance of integrating violence prevention and response interventions into efforts to prevent child marriage, as well as the health, educations and social services young women access.

Qualitative Evidence on the Implementation of Cure Violence in Trinidad and Tobago.

Violence is a significant social problem in many cities throughout the world. In seeking to prevent or control violence, communities have put in place a variety of interventions. Many of these rely on the formal criminal justice process to arrest, prosecute, and imprison offenders. However, formal social control is well known to be an incomplete solution to violence. As a result, some communities have experimented with community-based solutions. One such approach is Cure Violence, an initiative that treats violence as a public health issue. Based on methods used to prevent the spread of infectious disease, Cure Violence seeks to stop the spread of violence within communities. This study presents qualitative results on the implementation of Cure Violence in Trinidad and Tobago, a two-island nation in the southeastern Caribbean near Venezuela. We conducted 36 in-depth semi-structured interviews and two focus groups with a variety of stakeholders, including program staff, residents, family members of victims, and police. Our findings suggest that the implementation of Cure Violence in Trinidad and Tobago led to educational and employment support for community members and a reduction in violence, particularly retaliation killings in the target communities. Our results are useful for understanding the factors that shape the implementation of community-based violence reduction initiatives like Cure Violence.

Associations between β-blockers and psychiatric and behavioural outcomes: A population-based cohort study of 1.4 million individuals in Sweden.

β-blockers are widely used for treating cardiac conditions and are suggested for the treatment of anxiety and aggression, although research is conflicting and limited by methodological problems. In addition, β-blockers have been associated with precipitating other psychiatric disorders and suicidal behaviour, but findings are mixed. We aimed to examine associations between β-blockers and psychiatric and behavioural outcomes in a large population-based cohort in Sweden. We conducted a population-based longitudinal cohort study using Swedish nationwide high-quality healthcare, mortality, and crime registers. We included 1,400,766 individuals aged 15 years or older who had collected β-blocker prescriptions and followed them for 8 years between 2006 and 2013. We linked register data on dispensed β-blocker prescriptions with main outcomes, hospitalisations for psychiatric disorders (not including self-injurious behaviour or suicide attempts), suicidal behaviour (including deaths from suicide), and charges of violent crime. We applied within-individual Cox proportional hazards regression to compare periods on treatment with periods off treatment within each individual in order to reduce possible confounding by indication, as this model inherently adjusts for all stable confounders (e.g., genetics and health history). We also adjusted for age as a time-varying covariate. In further analyses, we adjusted by stated indications, prevalent users, cardiac severity, psychiatric and crime history, individual β-blockers, β-blocker selectivity and solubility, and use of other medications. In the cohort, 86.8% (n = 1,215,247) were 50 years and over, and 52.2% (n = 731,322) were women. During the study period, 6.9% (n = 96,801) of the β-blocker users were hospitalised for a psychiatric disorder, 0.7% (n = 9,960) presented with suicidal behaviour, and 0.7% (n = 9,405) were charged with a violent crime. There was heterogeneity in the direction of results; within-individual analyses showed that periods of β-blocker treatment were associated with reduced hazards of psychiatric hospitalisations (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.92, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.91 to 0.93, p < 0.001), charges of violent crime (HR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.81 to 0.93, p < 0.001), and increased hazards of suicidal behaviour (HR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.15, p = 0.012). After stratifying by diagnosis, reduced associations with psychiatric hospitalisations during β-blocker treatment were mainly driven by lower hospitalisation rates due to depressive (HR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.89 to 0.96, p < 0.001) and psychotic disorders (HR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.85 to 0.93, p < 0.001). Reduced associations with violent charges remained in most sensitivity analyses, while associations with psychiatric hospitalisations and suicidal behaviour were inconsistent. Limitations include that the within-individual model does not account for confounders that could change during treatment, unless measured and adjusted for in the model. In this population-wide study, we found no consistent links between β-blockers and psychiatric outcomes. However, β-blockers were associated with reductions in violence, which remained in sensitivity analyses. The use of β-blockers to manage aggression and violence could be investigated further.

Gender, affectivity and sexuality in primary education: case study of a Chilean program

Contributing to the many initiatives around the globe that foster gender education in primary school, we present the pioneering case of Paillaco (Chile). An educational program on “gender, affectivity and sexuality”, implemented since 2014, which has been influential in challenging gender injustice in education in the region and offers a potential template for others to follow. This case study, framed as Feminist Activist Research, aims to identify: the theoretical and pedagogical discourses that shape the program; the subjectivities of the schoolteachers appointed as “gender monitors”; and the effects and challenges perceived in and by the community. Results show that the program draws on critical-feminist pedagogies, queer theory and appeals for the provision of a comprehensive sexuality education. Training the teachers emerges as the key for raising gender awareness. Finally, positive changes such as reduction of gender violence are perceived because of the implementation of the program.

Serious violence in the Irish Prison Service: exploring the experiences of prison officers and prisoners under the Violently Disruptive Prisoner policy

ABSTRACT In the Irish Prison Service, prisoners repeatedly engaged in serious violence are managed under the Violently Disruptive Prisoner (VDP) policy. With the development of the National Violence Reduction Unit (NVRU), practice has shifted from being operationally-driven to the integration of a psychological perspective in the management of these prisoners. Part of an ongoing evaluation of this changing practice, this study explored the experiences of VDP policy prisoners (n = 4) and the prison officers (n = 13) working with them before practice changed. Descriptive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews identified nine themes: (1) describing VDP policy prisoners, (2) staff characteristics and approaches, (3) describing the VDP policy regime, (4) the social environment, (5) the occupational environment, (6) function of the VDP policy, (7) impact of the VDP policy, (8) factors influencing violence, and (9) responding to violence. Results are interpreted in light of comparable research and the Power Threat Meaning Framework. Implications for policy, practice and research in the NVRU are considered.

Early Educational Interventions to Prevent Gender-Based Violence: A Systematic Review

Gender-based violence is a worldwide public health problem that is increasingly occurring at younger ages. This investigation aims to analyze effective interventions to prevent and to face gender-based violence beginning in early childhood in order to ensure quality education for all children through violence-free schools. This research has conducted a systematic review of interventions that have demonstrated a positive impact on the prevention and reduction of gender-based violence from early ages up to 12 years, inclusive, in schools. An extensive search in scientific databases (WoS, SCOPUS, ERIC, PsycINFO) was conducted from 2007 to 2022. Thirteen articles were selected and analyzed in-depth to identify the success factors of these interventions, which (a) are integrated into the school curriculum; (b) promote active participation of students and community; (c) are based on scientific evidence; and (d) make relevant adaptations to a specific group and context. The programs analyzed have had a positive impact on raising awareness of gender violence, overcoming stereotypes, improving relationships in the classroom and reducing violent behavior, as well as empowering the most vulnerable people.

On the empirics of violence, inequality, and income

Aim/purpose – This paper aims to examine with new empirical evidence the joint rela- tionships between violence, income inequality, and real income per capita in a simulta- neous equation framework using a worldwide sample at the country level. Design/methodology/approach – To examine the several simultaneous relationships between the variables, this study uses the Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) and Three-Stage Least Squares (3SLS) with two-way fixed effects on a linear system of regression equations. The data used for analysis are sourced from the World Bank, the SWIID inequality database, and the Penn World Table. The final sample for the estima- tions includes 110 countries in the period between 1994 and 2019. Findings – Based on the estimations, the results confirm a strong positive relationship between violence and income inequality. Conversely, a negative but non-robust relation- ship exists between violence and real income per capita. Additionally, the findings show that human capital based on years of schooling plays a critical role in reducing both inequality and violence. Research implications/limitations – The negative relationship between income and violence is sensitive to the sample size. The institutional framework characterized by high levels of democracy does not ensure by itself a reduction in violence. The SUR model is limited to the endogeneity of the variables. Instruments selected for the 3SLS are based on previous lags of the endogenous variables, no external instruments were used. Data availability also compromises extending the estimations with a greater num- ber of controls. Originality/value/contribution – This study considers the explicit joint simultaneous endogenous behavior of income inequality, violence, and real income in a worldwide sample, which contrasts most of the traditional individual-type analysis of previous stud- ies with limited samples. Furthermore, it provides evidence of the importance of human capital and the existence of the non-robust relationships between income and violence. Keywords: violence, inequality, income, simultaneous, worldide. JEL Classification: O11, O50, F52

Factors Affecting the Reduction of Domestic Violence against Married Women by Their Intimate Partners in Rural Bangladesh

Factors Affecting the Reduction of Domestic Violence against Married Women by Their Intimate Partners in Rural Bangladesh

EDUCAÇÃO SEXUAL: UMA ANÁLISE SOBRE LEGISLAÇÃO E DOCUMENTOS OFICIAIS BRASILEIROS EM DIFERENTES CONTEXTOS POLÍTICOS

ABSTRACT: The provision of Sexuality Education in schools can significantly contribute to the reduction of violence motivated by issues related to gender and sexuality. This Sexuality Education needs to go beyond purely biological issues, addressing several other themes, such as body, pleasure, consent, and violence in addition to more obvious issues of gender, sexuality and diversity. However, in order to carry it out, teachers need to have the support of official documents and legislation. This research aims to verify how issues concerning Sexuality Education, gender and sexuality appear in laws, decrees and other publications that guide Brazilian Education as well as to relate them to the socio-political contexts in which they were published. To achieve our goal, we searched for these documents, covering the period from 1990 to 2018, and we focused our analysis on twenty-eight of them. The analysis showed that, in fact, the legislation not only allows, but determines that Sexuality Education be in schools. However, different political contexts have a great impact on the way in which Sexuality Education appears in the documents, sometimes explicitly, sometimes subjectively and diluted in the discourse of diversity and recently, completely silenced. In addition, recurrent cycles of advances and setbacks in different political contexts since re-democratization have culminated in gaps and discontinuities in Sexuality Education policies, impeding the development of a specific law on the subject and preventing its consolidation within Brazilian schools.

The Implementation of Dating Violence Prevention Programmes in Portugal and Their Effectiveness: Perspectives of Professionals

The aim of the present study is to learn the perspectives of professionals on the effectiveness of implementing dating violence prevention programmes in Portugal, based on their experiences. For data collection, a questionnaire survey built specifically for this purpose was used, which was completed by a total of 33 participants, 31 female and two male, with an average age of 39 years (SD = 10.10). The results indicate that the implementation of dating violence prevention programmes is generally perceived as effective, although a very limited number of participants mention the reduction of violence as a resultant gain. Limitations of a different nature are recognized, namely in terms of specificity, sustainability and the evaluation systems, which may compromise the consolidation of long-term objectives. Thus, the study presents important indications on how to redefine strategies to prevent and combat dating violence.

Lessons learned from implementing the parenting Program P in Bolivia to prevent family violence

Parenting programs are an increasingly used strategy to prevent family violence and promote gender equality in the household. Yet, there is limited understanding of the processes and pathways to change through such programs, especially from the Global South. This paper presents key findings of a qualitative evaluation of the parenting ‘Program P’, which was implemented in El Alto, Bolivia. The study complements and aims to provide additional insights to an experimental evaluation of this program, which found limited impact on the intended objectives, including a reduction in violence against children and women and more gender equitable attitudes among parents. Thirty-six qualitative interviews and 6 focus groups were conducted with men and women that attended Program P, and facilitators of the program. Findings were analyzed thematically and organized around key successes and challenges of the program including motivations and ability to engage with the program, opportunities for supportive group-based processes, addressing hegemonic gender and social norms, and learning and applying skills as a platform to change behaviours. We use these findings to offer implications for more effective design and implementation of gender transformative, parenting programs in Bolivia and globally.

Is Intergenerational Transmission of Violence a Strong Predictor of Intimate Partner Violence? Evidence from Nepal

Literature on women’s economic empowerment argues that women’s income builds resilience and leads to reduction in intimate partner violence (IPV). We challenge this by showing a positive (statistically) insignificant link between women’s economic status and IPV, but significant positive links between women’s economic contribution and IPV, and men’s intergenerational violent behaviour and IPV. Based on a sample of 553 married women drawn from Nepal, we find that paid or precarious work is positively but insignificantly associated with IPV. Findings however reveal that after controlling for other factors, women contributing equally or more to household income are significantly at higher risks of IPV. Similarly, if a man has witnessed domestic violence while growing up, he is more likely to commit violence within his own marriage. We therefore argue for the need to transform men’s attitude and behaviours through targeted programmes to break the cycle of violence.