VIEWING VIOLENCE AS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE PROVIDES A COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING ITS CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES, AND SOLUTIONS

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, September 6, 2024 (SKNIS) – At Friday’s (September 06, 2024) launch of the National Consultation and 90-Day Campaign Against Violence and Crime, guest presenter Dr. Jeanita Richardson, a Professor of Public Health & Policy at Windsor University, helped to strengthen the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis’s position of addressing crime and violence from a public health perspective.

Dr. Richardson noted that violence should be viewed as a public health issue because it shares key characteristics with other health problems and has widespread consequences for individuals and societies.

“Similar to diseases, violence has identifiable risk factors such as poverty, exposure to violence, substance abuse, mental health issues, a sense of not belonging and having worth in the society in which you live,” Dr. Richardson said. “These risk factors can be addressed through preventative measures. Addressing violence through a public health lens allows for the development of targeted prevention programmes such as community-based interventions, education campaigns, and policies that address the root causes of violence itself.”.

Friday’s event attracted participation from a broad spectrum of society representing the church and religious institutions, political parties, sports associations, social clubs, private sector businesses, law enforcement and other community-based organisations.

Dr. Richardson applauded this inclusive approach adopted by the government, noting that effective violence prevention requires collaboration across all sectors of society.

“Viewing violence as a public health issue provides a comprehensive framework for understanding its causes, consequences, and solutions. A public health approach, for example, encourages collaboration between governments and businesses and churches and schools and universities and law enforcement and other community organisations to create comprehensive strategies to prevent violence,” she said. “By treating violence as a public health issue, interventions then, can be designed based on evidence and data and research, ensuring that the resources allocated are reaching their most effective strategies.”

The professor noted that there is evidence to support that violence can be prevented. She stressed however, that effectively addressing this complex issue requires long-term commitment and culturally informed and sustained interventions .

“Boilerplate interventions do not work. We can borrow from them, but they all must be informed by the cultures and the communities that we seek to serve. We need to simultaneously be developing and engaging in long-term strategies while we also apply the short-term social band-aids that we experience in our communities,” said Dr. Richardson.

While the National Consultation and 90-Day Campaign Against Violence and Crime has been lauded as a positive and important step, Dr. Richardson urged officials in St. Kitts and Nevis to maintain the momentum, highlighting that the “commitment to violence prevention is more of a marathon than a sprint.”

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