Interpersonal violence
Interpersonal violence is an umbrella term which means simply violence between individuals. It involves the intentional use of physical force, threats, coercion, or power by one person against another person. Interpersonal violence can result in neglect, injury, psychological harm, deprivation and even death.
The World Health Organization classifies interpersonal violence into two broad categories:
Family & intimate partner violence / domestic violence and community violence.
This means for example violence between a couple, child abuse, violence between siblings or elder abuse.
This means violence between two or more acquaintances or strangers and it often happens in public areas, but can happen for example online too. It includes for example youth violence (e.g. violence in schools, gang-related), human trafficking, street violence, gang violence, weapons attacks or gun violence / public shootings, sexual violence by others than close-ones, cults, assaults, robberies, thefts, hate crimes and homicide.
Bullying that happens in schools and workplaces are other examples of community violence. Also stalking by someone who is not intimately related with the victim is considered as community violence.
Terrorist attacks on the other hand are classified primarily as collective violence (like war and organised political violence), though they share many characteristics with community violence and are sometimes considered a very severe form of community violence.
Also self-directed violence (self-harm or suicide) is distinguished from interpersonal violence in public health and criminology.
Structural violence refers to harm caused by social, economic, political, or cultural systems that systematically disadvantage certain groups of people. Unlike direct violence, there may be no identifiable perpetrator; the harm results from unequal structures, institutions, or policies that limit people's access to resources, opportunities, rights, or well-being.
Institutional violence means harm caused by the actions, policies, practices, or failures of institutions such as governments, schools, healthcare systems, prisons, or other organisations. It occurs when institutions directly or indirectly mistreat, neglect, discriminate against, or abuse individuals or groups.
