Taking action on violence through research,policy,and practice

Background:Violence is a critical public health problem associated with compromised health and social suffering that are preventable.The Centre for Global Health and Health Equity organized a forum in 2014 to identify:(1)priority issues related to violence affecting different population groups in Canada,and(2)strategies to take action on priority issues to reduce violence-related health inequities in Canada.In this paper,we present findings from the roundtable discussions held at the Forum,offer insights on the socio-political implications of these findings,and provide recommendations for action to reduce violence through research,policy and practice.Methods:Over 60 academic researchers,health and social service agency staff,community advocates and graduate students attended the daylong Forum,which included presentations on structural violence,community violence,gender-based violence,and violence against marginalized groups.Detailed notes taken at the roundtables were analyzed by the first author using a thematic analysis technique.Findings:The thematic analysis identified four thematic areas:1)structural violence perpetuates interpersonal violence-the historical,social,political and economic marginalization that contributes to personal and community violence.2)social norms of gender-based violence—the role of dominant social norms in perpetuating the practice of violence,especially towards women,children and older adults;3)violence prevention and mitigation programs—the need for policy and programming to address violence at the individual/interpersonal,community,and societal levels;and 4)research gaps—the need for comprehensive research evidence made up of systematic reviews,communitybased intervention and evaluation of implementation research to identify effective programming to address violence.Conclusions:The proceedings from the Global Health and Health Equity Forum underscored the importance of recognizing violence as a public health issue that requires immediate and meaningful communal and structural investment to break its historic cycles.Based on our thematic analysis and literature review,four recommendations are offered:(1)Support and adopt policies to prevent or reduce structural violence;(2)Adopt multi-pronged strategies to transform dominant social norms associated with violence;(3)Establish standards and ensure adequate funding for violence prevention programs and services;and(4)Fund higher level ecological research on violence prevention and mitigation.