South Africa Case Study

• In Event: Addressing urban violence through education

Abstract

AIR will present its mapping of education programs addressing urban violence in South Africa. AIR will look at the conflict drivers specific to South Africa and the ways in which formal and nonformal education seeks to mitigate interpersonal and public violence in three cities.

We will first discuss the South African context that explains its high level of violent crime, including the legacy of apartheid and the inequality that remains. We will present the drivers of violence worth noting in the South African context such as but not limited to poverty and increasing inequality, a lack of quality education that is directly related to unemployment, the absence of parent/s or a caregiver, and the availability and abuse of alcohol and narcotics.

We will discuss why we directed our focus within South Africa to Capetown, Port Elizabeth, and Johannesburg. We will also explain the significance that CSOs play in this field of implementing programmes addressing the social causes of violent crime. We will then present the results from our mapping work and analysis.

Authors

• Amy West, AIR

• Claire Nowlin, American Institutes for Research