When a public official performs some type of discriminatory, humiliating or prejudiced action, this act is qualified as institutional violence .
The violation of human rights is always a serious issue, but it is especially unacceptable when it comes from a member of the public administration. In this regard, when a member of the police, a prison warden or a member of the armed forces have a conduct contrary to human rights, we are facing a case of institutional violence.
Entities that fight this type of violence claim that the best way to prevent abuse is to know the rights. Another strategy used to reduce institutional violence is the ongoing training of police forces. Institutional Violence
Remembering some fundamental rights
A person can be detained only if he is ordered by a judge or if he has committed a crime. When an arrest occurs, the detainee must be accurately informed to know the reason for his arrest and who ordered it. The detainee has the right to request medical assistance and request the presence of a lawyer. Likewise, every citizen has the right not to declare. When a woman is arrested, she must be registered by an official of the same sex. In most countries, those under 18 who are arrested must be taken to specific youth centers.
Police members can only use firearms when their lives are in danger or when other people’s lives are in danger, on the other hand, before using the weapon, they must identify themselves as police officers. Of course, no police officer can force anyone to commit an irregularity. Institutional Violence
In recent years, information campaigns have been launched to combat institutional violence. On the other hand, these campaigns provide a telephone for citizens to report cases of abuse by a public authority.
Main victims and the most common abuses
As a general criterion, the victims of this form of violence are minority groups or those in a situation of social exclusion , young people from the suburbs, the LGBT collective, indigenous communities , ethnic minorities, etc. Institutional Violence
Police forces are legitimated to use violence, but always in a proportional way and respecting the rights of citizens. However, in some countries, police bodies commit all kinds of irregularities: arbitrary or outright illegal detention, verbal or degrading abuse, coercion, torture or the use of the so-called “easy trigger”.
