As governments strive to reduce violence, they must also address the powerful role of companies and corporations.
The Mexican government is suing US-based gun makers. The government is accusing the companies of facilitating violence in Mexico, not so much because their products are designed to injure and kill, but because of their reckless distribution and marketing practices.
While arms manufacturers are a clear example of how businesses can contribute to violence, other types of companies can also play a significant role.
For decades, health researchers have been raising awareness about the “commercial determinants of health”. Initially, this focused on industries producing harmful products like tobacco, alcohol, fast food and fossil fuels. The approach was expanded to show how a wider range of companies and industries harm our health through their practices.
Now we have highlighted six ways companies not only harm people’s health, but also make society more violent.
Companies often engage in lobbying, which hinders efforts to reduce violence. For instance, cyberbullying and violent content frequently appear on social media platforms owned by multi-billion dollar tech firms.
These companies have been known to lobby against laws that would hold them more accountable for online content and safety.
Some companies are known to commission scientific research to downplay the dangers of their products, such as alcohol – the consumption of which is linked to violence.
For example, the alcohol industry has sponsored research that downplays the negative effects of alcohol, encouraging consumption. This is despite the known links between increased alcohol use and heightened risks of violence.
Marketing can also perpetuate violent norms or harmful behaviour. For instance, despite the widespread opioid addiction crisis in the US, the drug Oxycontin continued to be aggressively marketed to vulnerable patients for years.
This profit-driven promotion has had severe consequences and has contributed to a rise in violent crime.
Companies damage human and planetary health through the pollutants they create. Industrial pollutants, such as lead, have been linked to violent tendencies, while air pollution is associated with increases in violent crime.
Environmental exploitation also leads to violence. Several conflicts have arisen around the globe over access to water, as industrial pollution diminishes supplies and heightens tensions over resources.
Some industries, such as private military contractors, can employ people to commit acts of violence. Other employment practices can include non-disclosure agreements that conceal the extent of bullying, sexual harassment and other forms of workplace violence.
The global pornography industry, for example, can leave workers exposed to violence with little recourse against their employers. Additionally, many pornographic sites feature violence and abuse, with emerging evidence suggesting that such behaviour may be mimicked by viewers.
Many companies have pension schemes that invest in the arms trade, the alcohol industry and regimes with poor violence and human rights records. Additionally, commercial processes that promote excessive spending encourages debt, which is linked to increased risks of violence, including intimate partner violence and child abuse.
To tackle the root causes of violence and improve violence reduction strategies, governments have looked to families, communities, schools, health and justice services, and community and voluntary sector organisations for solutions. While these are important, we believe a broader and more radical approach is needed.
The wealth and influence of certain companies now exceeds that of some countries. Alongside holding individuals and public sector agencies responsible for violence, companies also need to be recognised and held to account by governments.
Our research aims to help identify the specific ways in which companies fuel violence, and could inform what governments need to do to regulate them.
Kat Ford receives funding from Public Health Wales NHS Trust. She is affiliated with Bangor University and Public Health Wales NHS Trust.
Sally McManus, and this research, was funded by the UK Prevention Research Partnership (UKPRP: Grant MR/V049879/1). UKPRP is funded by the British Heart Foundation, Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council, Health and Social Care Research and Development Division (Welsh Government), Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research, Natural Environment Research Council, Public Health Agency (Northern Ireland), the Health Foundation and Wellcome. Sally is also affiliated with and has worked as an independent consultant to the National Centre for Social Research.
