Can violent behaviour be treated as a disease?
This is the view of Gary Slutkin, an epidemiologist who formed CeaseFire, a highly successful anti-gang program based in Chicago. According to Dr. Slutkin, violent behaviour is learned by modelling and unconscious copying, and sustained by peer pressure. The unfortunate result: mundane grievances settled by the barrel of a gun. These volatile power dynamics are further compounded by the expectation of peers to “do something” to save face and “honour.”
Dr. Slutkin’s solution is a public-health approach, in which eradication of violence is modelled along the same lines as the eradication of polio or other diseases. The key is to stop transmission of violence, while inoculating the community to develop resiliency or immunity against the “disease.” It requires the co-operation of government, police and grassroots organizations. Most importantly, affected communities are not passive onlookers. Rather, they take a central role in improving their quality of life.
CeaseFire was launched in West Garfield Park, Chicago, in 2000 and quickly reduced shootings by 67 per cent in its first year. The U.S. Department of Justice found that the program’s success rate in reducing shootings and killings ranged between 41 and 73 per cent in other Illinois communities. The model has been replicated in more than a dozen American communities, and even used in Iraq.
The program has five core components: community mobilization, youth outreach, public education, faith-based leader involvement and criminal justice participation. This includes a cadre of outreach workers who focus on changing the behaviours and attitudes of high-risk individuals, and “violence interrupters” who call for truces and a stop to retaliation. Many are former gang members who are eager to help young people avoid a life of violence. Conflict mediation is central.
The faith community plays a key role by providing powerful social messages of non-violence, peace and salvation. Churches, synagogues and mosques who sign onto the CeaseFire initiative pledge one sermon a month devoted exclusively to the topic of non-violence in their respective traditions.
Since we are not immune to gang violence, why not incorporate the CeaseFire program into existing Canadian anti-gang programs? In fact, why not adapt it toward the eradication of other social ills grounded in power dynamics, violence and intimidation, such as honour crimes and “home-grown” extremism?
Since 1999, there have been 14 recorded honour crimes in Canada (10 since 2006) involving Hindu, Sikh and Muslim families. A CeaseFire type initiative can be modelled on the five components, with conflict mediation as the key. Youth outreach is vital in view of the disturbing trend of young men murdering their sisters. Public education is essential to provide strong messages of non-violence, mediation and alternate definitions of “honour” for women and men. Remember, both genders often expect, encourage or approve honour-based retaliation.
The wild card may be faith-based leadership, which has yet to grasp the magnitude of the problem of domestic violence and intergenerational conflict. Imagine if leaders devoted one sermon a month toward the topic of non-violence in the home. The goal should be to develop strong social messages within communities that violence toward women is unequivocally unacceptable.
Policy makers can also adapt CeaseFire as part of an overall strategy to combat extremism. Affected communities must become active partners in turning away vulnerable youth from extremist messages. In addition to the five core CeaseFire components, programs should be developed to enhance political and civic participation among the young. This will require a concerted effort between government and community leadership. For many years, certain mosques told Muslims that voting was forbidden, since the government was “un-Islamic.” Such insular messages are being gradually replaced by a more integrative vision. Yet more needs to be done.
CeaseFire is not a panacea. However, it offers a fresh way to move forward on a number of issues.
