This isn't life for you . The phrase, heard by a man who worked for a short period in drug trafficking, summarizes the idea of the report This is not life for you: Masculinities and non-violence in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , a study by the Promundo Institute prepared for the program global Safe and Inclusive Cities – SAIC (Safe and Inclusive Cities Program).
Said by a colleague when observing how the man interacted with a child, the phrase demonstrates how behaviors considered “non-masculine”, such as care and attention, challenge gender-related norms – especially in environments marked by violence. The man, who became a community activist, is one of 45 interviewed in the qualitative phase of the in-depth study – which also includes 1,151 quantitative interviews carried out in the city of Rio de Janeiro between 2013 and 2016.
The report points out that homicides and other forms of violence remain high in low-income contexts in Rio de Janeiro and overwhelmingly affect young, poor and black men. The report includes interviews with men and women, from two samples, which correspond approximately to the southern part of the city, where homicide rates are lower, and predominantly to the northern part of the city, where homicide rates are higher.
The study results suggest that exposure to urban violence before the age of 18 is strongly associated with its perpetration during adulthood, including a greater propensity for gender-based violence. And the numbers show that, unfortunately, this exposure is high. The report shows that 82.8% of men experienced or witnessed at least two of the following situations before the age of 18: serious assault, violent approach by the police, beating, exchange of gunfire, home or workplace hit by bullets, threats of death and injury by shooting a firearm.
At the same time, the possession and use of firearms is viewed favorably by 95.7% of men surveyed (North) and 93.4% (South) - despite a relatively small proportion of individuals reporting owning or having used weapons. Women have less favorable attitudes towards the use/possession of weapons, but a high percentage still supports this practice: 73.4% of respondents (South) and 70.9% (North) say they are in favor of carrying or using weapons.
“We know how firearms contribute to the symbolic construction of traditional masculinity”, analyzes the executive director of Instituto Promundo, Tatiana Moura. “A gun in the home greatly increases the chances of homicide or violent threats to a partner and this situation cannot be treated exclusively as a domestic one. It has everything to do with the public policies adopted, such as, for example, the discussions surrounding the Disarmament Statute, which is being attacked and cannot suffer setbacks”, he says.
Fear of violence was also a factor analyzed in the research: respondents showed a high degree of fear of both the police (59% – North; 52.9% – South) and the militia (53% – North; 43.8% – South ) and drug traffickers (58% – North; 42% – South). The fear of thieves, however, is the greatest of all: (78% – North; 46.7% – South).
Violence reduction factors
While the household questionnaires in the quantitative phase were carried out with men and women living in different regions of the city of Rio de Janeiro, the 45 qualitative interviews were focused on men and family members who experienced non-violent trajectories – in groups in which they were encouraged to use violence – including former drug dealers, police officers, activists and their respective partners.
Among this audience, fatherhood emerged as a central factor in men's distancing from violence. Other factors cited by interviewees include men's participation in domestic tasks; connection to social circles or social support; men's education levels; use of mechanisms to “calm down” and move away from conflicts; expansion of life perspectives and gains in urban mobility in the city; individual traits and rejection of masculine norms linked to violence and the adoption of more gender-equitable attitudes and behaviors.
The report also points to the need to adopt a new public security agenda, aimed at building safer and more inclusive cities with policies that overcome the repressive policing model and prioritize violence prevention and conflict mediation.
“We have to go beyond punishing individuals. We have already seen that this type of policy does not resolve and, more than that, does not create possibilities for young people and adults to have a second chance. We believe in resilience, positive attitudes and paradigm shifts”, says Tatiana Moura. “And creating integrated public security policies, which work in both public and private spaces, is a big step towards this.”
Read the full report here .
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