Cultural Beliefs and Biases
Violence and crime are often rooted in cultural beliefs and biases. These include the various types of discrimination, which are common even in the most advanced societies. First of all, gender-based violence is gaining more and more attention in the modern world. This type of violence is more typical for traditionally patriarchal countries, for example, eastern or developing countries. However, even in more prosperous states, the economic and social status of citizens is different, which can lead to violence against women. Gender-based crimes can include physiological, psychological, or sexual violence.
European Commission (n. d.) reports that in the European Union, 31% of women have experienced acts of physical violence, every 20 have been raped, and 43% suffered psychological violence. Apparently, the statistics even in developed countries are depressing, while in more patriarchal societies is even worse. For example, in Pakistan and China, there is a practice of honor killing, when a wife can be punished with death for wrong behavior (Hadi, 2017). Thus, the prevalence of gender-based violence and crime depends on cultural beliefs about men and women roles.
A special place in genetically motivated violence is occupied by crimes on the basis of bias related to sexual orientation. In many countries, especially the more conservative, cultural beliefs give rise to resentment towards members of sexual minorities. This situation leads to increased aggression and violence towards them. The problem may be motivated by the more frequent involvement of such groups in sex work (Blondeel et al., 2018). However, sexual orientation is often the cause of violence as well as systemic discrimination.
Racial and ethnic discrimination also often leads to violence and conflict situations. Such incidents are “motivated by a hostility or prejudice based on a person’s race or perceived race” (“Racial violence statistics,” n. d.). Racially motivated violence is the most common cause of hate crimes, which constitutes more than 57% in 2019 (“FBI Releases 2019 Hate Crime Statistics,” n. d.). It is also noteworthy that in the United States, a significant number of such incidents are directed against African Americans, as well as Hispanic and Latino populations (“Number of victims of race-based,” n. d.).
Thus, the correlation between persistent discrimination on the basis of race and ethnicity becomes apparent, especially since it is supported by historical premises. Moreover, in recent years, more and more attention has been drawn to the police violence against Black and Hispanic citizens, which also indicates the possible presence of systemic discrimination, which makes the problem even more serious.
Religious bias can also be the cause of violence and crime, as the recent events in France have illustrated. Moreover, rejection of one religious belief group by another is a common reason for terrorist activity. Despite the fact that such incidents occur all over the world, the highest number is registered in “Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Bangladesh” (Muggah & Velshi, 2019). In these countries, bias is widespread in relation to various religious groups, which is also motivated by cultural beliefs.
Examination of cultural beliefs and biases helps to understand the causes of many episodes of violence, including systemic ones. Often its roots are in the tradition of a certain society, which makes it difficult to develop relevant measures to eliminate it. Moreover, hate crimes and bias incidents are extremely common in the modern world, which indicates a strong negative correlation between cultural beliefs and motivation for violence.
Social Roles
The most apparent social roles in relation to this violence are the victim and the criminal. Such relationships arise between the direct participants in the incident. In this case, public expectations make one sympathize with the victim and condemn the offender.
However, often the judicial system does not consider certain factors which could justify the convicted person (Boateng & Abess, 2017). Thus, these roles can be a source of stigmatization towards the participants in the incident. As noted with regard to gender-based violence, the roles of men and women can also result in violence. Social expectations in this case often justify domestic violence and sexual harassment, which exacerbate the problem. As with the roles of the victim and the criminal, these roles can be a source of stigma, making it challenging to address the issue. Considering roles in relation to crime and violence can help determine the motives of certain incidents, as well as identify patterns of perception in society.
Social Inequalities
Different types of inequality exist in different societies, leading to different social problems. In the case of violence and crime, economic inequality can play a dominant role. As Coccia (2018) notes, low socioeconomic status and high levels of stratification can be a source of stress and frustration, leading to anger and incidents of violence. First of all, this inequality can result in the need for people to make money and, as a consequence, crimes. However, often economically motivated episodes do not lead to violence per se. Disadvantaged communities are also characterized by an increased level of drug trafficking, which may be another reason for the crime.
Political inequality is most common in the least developed countries. However, its apparent example is also the police violence, which was mentioned above, which results in an uneven distribution of power resources between citizens and the state. The war on drugs, which occurred in the Philippines in 2016, is also a notable episode. The country’s president decided to fight drug trafficking in the country through the genocide of suspects, which led to thousands of victims (Johnson & Fernquest, 2018). Thus, political inequality can often be a motive for massive violence, especially when there is a lack of control and resistance. This discussion can help to understand better the mechanisms of occurrence of incidents and its social determinants.
Existing Conditions
Currently, there is a widespread discussion on how to improve the criminal justice system. As noted, it is often discriminated against and stigmatized, which exacerbates the situation with violence and crime. Currently, reforms should be directed more towards preventing crimes than punishing them. In this respect, an existing social problem can accelerate change by drawing public attention to episodes of unfair condemnation. Thus, the growing interest in the causes of violence and crime can have a positive effect on the transformation of the entire judicial system and the perception of incidents.
Undoubtedly, the growing concern regarding domestic violence and sexual harassment lead not only to more convicts but also to human rights initiatives. In particular, this applies to more patriarchal countries in which it is difficult to uproot traditional foundations. Gradually, the existing issue may lead to a revision of the legal norms on gender-based violence in the most disadvantaged countries. In developed societies, this process is already obvious, since recently there have been a significant number of scandals in connection to harassment and domestic violence.
