Armed violence taking place within societies

Violence is an endemic, holistic and crosscutting phenomenon with varying characteristics across contexts. Although there are important distinctions between violence, conflict, and crime, definitions often overlap. Violence is usually classified as the use of physical force, which causes hurt to others. However, it can also include cultural and structural aspects, such as exclusion, marginalisation, inequality, and injustice within social or economic structures (Galtung, 1996; Moser and Holland, 2004; Rodgers, 2003).