By Tatiana Moura
(Originally published in Forum Magazine )
Non-violence is possible, including in spaces historically exposed to chronic levels of this practice. The statement may seem utopian but – despite what we are led to believe – the “war on drugs”, punitive actions and coercive policies are not the only possible alternatives for overcoming violence.
More than an optimistic or dreamy opinion, this is what the recently launched study by the Promundo Institute “This is not life for you – Masculinities and non-violence in Rio de Janeiro” proves. The research presents several factors that contribute to non-violent attitudes being adopted by men who live in environments favorable to these practices.
Non-violent and caring fatherhood and greater gender equality in personal relationships are some factors identified for men to adopt non-violent attitudes – a conclusion that makes an unprecedented contribution to the debate on public security in Brazil.
Research shows that there is no longer any way to separate, as if they were watertight things, the public and private environments, social life and domestic life. We know that public security policies do not relate urban violence to gender actions: they exclusively address the public sphere, with a majority focus on men.
We can cite as an example the data relating to the possession and use of firearms, viewed favorably by 95.7% of men surveyed (North zone) and 93.4% (South zone) - despite a relatively small proportion of individuals reported owning or using 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, as an instrument that represents the defense and protection of family and property. But we also know that a gun in the home greatly increases the chances of homicide or threats to a partner (armed domestic violence), generating or worsening a situation of domestic violence, which cannot be treated exclusively as a private matter.
Aggressions, threats and even homicides against women are deeply related to public policies that have proven to be successful, such as the Disarmament Statute, which is being attacked and at risk of suffering setbacks. Therefore, it is imperative that affirmative, inclusive and civic agendas are incorporated into public security policies.
Another important issue presented by the study is the suggestion 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 in the private sphere.
And the numbers show that, unfortunately, this exposure is high – 82.8% of the men interviewed experienced or witnessed at least two of the following situations before the age of 18: serious assault, violent approach by the police, beatings, exchange of gunfire, home or workplace hit by bullets, death threats and injuries from gunshots.
The research covered 1,151 people, men and women, residents of different regions of the city of Rio de Janeiro, in addition to 56 qualitative interviews with former drug traffickers, police officers, activists and their respective partners. Among this audience, fatherhood emerged as a central factor in men's distancing from violence.
There is no denying that public incentive policies such as the expansion of paternity leave, men's access to prenatal exams in the public health network, greater male participation in caring for the home and children, expansion of bonds of affection and greater autonomy feminine economics strengthen this trend and help to deconstruct symbols of hypermasculinity that end up harming men themselves.
Other factors cited by interviewees as situations that kept them away from violence 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.
In other words, it is possible – and urgent – to break with intergenerational transmissions of violence and this cycle of violence and adopt new paradigms, exercising other ways of being in the world. And we believe that these new parameters are absolutely necessary at this time. More than ever.
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