Championing Education’s Role in Reducing Urban Violence: Preliminary Findings From South Africa

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Description

The objective of the South Africa study was to learn the role education plays as a preventive or response measure in urban violent crime.

South Africa provides insight into a middle-income country with significant regional presence where staggering levels of violent crime challenge development. AIR  systematically reviewed formal and non-formal education initiatives limited to certain cities that were experiencing high rates of violent crime, including murder, assault, and rape.

The mapping’s goal was to:

• Identify formal and non-formal education interventions addressing a culture or climate of violence.
• Ascertain whether an evidence base exists to link education to violence reduction or prevention.
• Recommend steps to strengthen education’s role in violence reduction or prevention based on observed gaps and needs.

The findings highlight existing realities and provide recommendations to strengthen education as an essential prevention and response tool. Most research on urban violence in South Africa has been conducted from a safety and security perspective, not an education perspective. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development project on armed violence, for example, conducted a mapping on violence prevention and reduction that included South Africa and Brazil, but education interventions were not explicitly identified or addressed.