Violence Increasing Throughout the World
…lawlessness will abound…
Matthew 24:12
Open Your Eyes!
Violence Increasing Throughout the World – the Bible states that in the Last Days, one of the things that will change is that “lawlessness shall abound” and if you listen and watch the news, you would have to admit that things around the world are not getting better, in fact, they are getting progressively worse!
Below are some general observances and facts that you might be interested to read to support what is actually happening in the world and that this scripture is being fulfilled, right before our eyes.
Violence Increasing Throughout the World – violence kills more people worldwide than war or terrorist attacks combined. It must be treated as an issue that transcends all sectors and public health must take part.
Violence is an enormously destructive behavior that costs societies billions. It diverts resources away from healthy development initiatives and prevents families from breaking out of poverty traps while slowing economic expansion.
1. Terrorism
Violence around the globe is shifting. While violence remains more lethal than before, conflict no longer solely occurs between nation states. Instead, non-state groups often perceive themselves to be engaging in war, insurgency or legitimate self-determination struggle which others perceive as terrorist activities, thus prompting a range of responses ranging from denial and stigmatisation to counter terrorism tactics and policies.
Deaths from terrorist attacks saw a marked decline, with 119 countries recording no deaths due to such attacks, the best result since 2007. Yet the Sahel region of Africa continues to host some of the fastest-growing and deadliest terror groups, such as Islamic State, which killed more people than all other terrorist groups combined in 2021 – nearly one fifth.
Violence related deaths represent a substantial burden to national economies and health systems. They include suicide, homicide, war and conflict related deaths that vary by country. In order to reduce violence related deaths effectively, efforts should focus on understanding factors influencing rates of violence related deaths – such as low suicide rates in Southern Africa (SSA and LAC) or low homicide rates in EME (-US). Furthermore, understanding what drives increases or decreases in violence related deaths will inform efforts aimed at their reduction.
2. Gender-Based Violence
Gender-based violence takes many forms: domestic, family or intimate partner violence, sexual exploitation, trafficking for sexual purposes, gender-based discrimination, child marriage and female genital mutilation are just a few examples of gender-based violence which affect women worldwide – even during peacetime – at an alarming rate. One in three women will experience violence of some sort during their lifetimes; indigenous communities, rural or remote areas as well as those with disabilities tend to be particularly at risk.
Gender-based violence often escalates during conflicts or instability due to a breakdown of social structures and the rule of law, aggravating long-standing forms of discrimination against women and girls. Warring parties can use women and girls as sources of revenue or intimidation against populations, with sexual violence frequently used as a weapon of war.
Violence against women and girls is further complicated by inconsistent judicial responses across countries, leading to inconsistent or weak or nonexistent enforcement. Victims may face stigmatisation and discrimination within their community, making it less likely that they seek support or report the crime. Gender-based violence has devastating impacts for survivors: in addition to physical injuries, unwanted pregnancies, HIV transmission risk and the possibility of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), they can experience depression anxiety post traumatic stress disorder and economic hardship; depending solely on an abuser may lead them down this path of dependency.
3. Organized Crime
A new global study by the Global Organized Crime Index underscores how organized crime’s reach and influence are expanding rapidly. According to its estimates, OCGs generate revenues between USD 3.5 trillion and 4.6 trillion each year – equivalent to between 7% of global GDP! Furthermore, organized criminals use private sectors as both enablers and targets of their crime activity, with construction, natural resource, and agribusiness companies particularly at risk from organised criminals.
Criminal gangs have also become more engaged in transnational drug and weapon smuggling operations, which constitute a serious threat to public security in countries with weak law enforcement or porous borders, such as Ukraine, Myanmar and Mexico. Criminals exploit global movements of people and goods by hijacking cargo ships, smuggling drugs through porous borders or kidnapping and robbing passengers for money extortionists or kidnapping victims as leverage for kidnap or robbery schemes.
Violence increases are caused by various factors and should be taken seriously. But speculation regarding COVID-19 pandemic and pent-up frustrations are unsupported by evidence and cannot explain when violent crimes increased in frequency or timing. Therefore, efforts should be directed at better identifying its root causes such as strengthening police capacity, combatting corruption in both government and business and improving data collection efforts.
4. Political Violence
Last decade witnessed an upsurge of political violence worldwide, with higher protest levels and armed conflict occurring across more countries than ever before. Social factors often provided fertile ground for this political unrest to develop; politicians provided the spark. Nowadays, more people consider physical force to achieve political ends acceptable than ever before – this may reflect leaders on both sides engaging in degrading rhetoric or pushing far-right ideologies into practice.
In 2022, armed clashes between state forces and civilians continued to dominate global political violence, although their overall frequency decreased (ACLED). More worrying was an upsurge in remote violence targeting civilians; shelling and airstrikes increased throughout the year in Ukraine, Russia, and Myanmar with particularly high civilian fatality rates reported from these sources.
Mob violence was another noticeable trend. Incidents of mob violence rose globally, with notable spikes occurring in Palestine, India, and Kenya prior to local-level elections. At these events, often single attackers target local politicians or activists; often middle-aged married individuals share violent conspiratorial beliefs within their community despite efforts that disentangle them from radical fringe groups and reconnect them to local society.
Time Is Short!
Violence Increasing Throughout the World
