Preventive Policies Can Help Curb Violence

A Salvadorian mother holds the machete she sleeps with after being assaulted by a gang. ©Daniel LeClaire

What was important about the forum on violence prevention?
Arguing the issue of violence has been an ongoing matter for the last few years here in the Americas. Governments, academic experts, and not-for-profit organizations are permanently reviewing, evaluating, and proposing new alternatives to dealing with violence. The event was a new opportunity to gain perspective on the issue once again.

The attendance of IDB President Enrique Iglesias just a few days prior to his official retirement sent a message to the new bank's president and to governments across the region that the IDB has shown sustained interest in supporting projects aimed at dealing with the problem of violence. The IDB, along with PAHO and other international agencies, was a founding member of the Inter-American Violence Prevention Coalition. We hope the event sent a new signal that will help unite efforts and political will to support violence prevention legislation that reinforces the safety of all citizens.

What was the significance of holding the forum in Medellín?
It was held in Medellín to showcase the experiences of that city and also Bogotá's. Both these cities have significantly reduced their violence rates and promoted peaceful coexistence.This represented a great opportunity for participants from other countries to see that it is possible to work with prevention as a point of departure—that policies of repression and punishment don't need to be the only policy options available.

Alberto Concha-Eastman, PAHO's team leader on violence prevention and road safety, says that repression alone will not succeed in halting gang violence in Central America and elsewhere. © Armando Waak/PAHO

How does violence affect public health?
Public health is the manifestation of everything that in one way or another affects health, development, and people's wellbeing. Violence, in all its forms, leads to death, disability, illness, emotional breakdowns, sexual and psychological trauma, and involuntary displacement. Violence prevents investment and keeps development from happening. It affects governments' ability to provide assistance.

Is there enough being done to stop the growing influence of Central America's maras?
Or course not. But you have to see the whole forest and not just the trees. This is not a new phenomenon, and it does not have a single cause. It is clear that governments in the countries where the problem is most prevalent have not given it the right kind of attention. Today, when the problem is so serious, the loudest voices are calling for strong-arm measures—extraditions, incarceration, and generally repressive measures whose effects are not at all clear.

In fact, in Central American countries, where thousands of youngsters have been jailed and have stayed there for several months, they come out having learned how organized crime operates, and now they have direct ties to it. This is the perverse effect of misguided policy.

What are the main challenges in preventing intrafamily violence?
There are many: from poverty to lack of equity, access to firearms and alcohol abuse, the impact of violence in the media, the culture of violence, complacency toward acts of violence at home and on the streets. The causes are many, and that is why we need to confront the issue from many angles. What we need now are national policies that support and define prevention projects that can be developed over time with sufficient resources.