Definitions of Violence and Violation, Adapted from
Common Shock
Violence and violation can be personal or structural.
Personal violence occurs when we harm or injure another.
The effects of this are usually visible to all involved, and
may produce
physical, psychological, spiritual, or material harm.
Structural
violence occurs when the social system itself exploits some
people to the benefit of others, producing the same
kinds
of harms, but to classes of individuals. This kind of
violence and violation is
often invisible to those who benefit, and the causes of
harm may be invisible even to those who suffer from them.
Violation may be more subtle than violence. It too occurs
directly between people and indirectly through structural
inequities and injustices.
In addition, processes such as illness, disability,
aging, discrimination, and immigration can create the experience
of violation. Through whichever
means, if the experience disrupts our sense of meaning
and we feel fear or dread then this constitutes violation.
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