Understand Concepts

Violence is a global phenomenon resulting in the deaths of more than 1.6 million people each year, making it one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

To create a society where everyone feels safe requires an understanding of safety as a human right and a public good that needs to be protected. The way to achieve this is through a commitment to preventing violence and crime by addressing its root causes.

One of the present government’s stated delivery agreements is that “All people in South Africa are and feel safe”. This commitment is one of 12 strategic priorities that the government has agreed to address while it is in office, and a number of policies have been put in place in an effort to achieve this.

Youth violence is a growing challenge for the societies and governments of many countries, including South Africa. Internationally, the number of youth homicides has been increasing for years. Around the globe, every year almost a quarter of a million people under the age of 30 are murdered. This accounts for half of all homicides globally per year. For every young person killed by violence, 20 to 40 more become victims of violence and require hospitalisation.

This thematic introduction outlines how positive parenting relates to violence prevention and national development, and why the national implementation of evidence-based programs to support positive parenting is both necessary and achievable.

The physical (built) environment is often an important factor in determining whether a crime is likely to occur. In this regard, making changes to the physical environment could prevent certain types of crime from being committed and may reduce incidents of crime and violence in a particular area. This well-recognised and widely practised approach to crime prevention is commonly known as Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED).