Targeted killings are part of social and political life in the Philippines. While research into this phenomenon generally focuses on specific fields, actors, or victim groups, Peter Kreuzer's new PRIF Working Paper examines targeted killings in the Philippines as a socially embedded, persistent form of lethal violence.
This paper argues that targeted killings occur in unrelated contexts, which, however, share a common permissive environment.
Surveys show that Filipinos express a high degree of justification for acts of violence and are among the leaders in global comparisons. A similarly high level of tolerance can also be observed toward other illegal acts, such as bribery or tax evasion. The paper argues that this consistency in attitudes points to a permissive environment in which targeted killings are not only considered criminal extremes, but also sometimes legitimate actions.
The findings suggest that a shared cultural frame of reference contributes to the perpetuation of this practice. In the Philippines, for example, violence is considered by a significant portion of the population to be a sometimes acceptable means of asserting interests or exercising social control. Even if social attitudes do not directly determine individual actions, they do lower the moral and psychological barriers to approving or considering the use of violence.
The paper concludes by stating that reducing targeted killings requires more than prosecuting contract killers or their clients. Deeper cultural and institutional conditions that make this violence acceptable must also be addressed.
The working paper is available for download (PDF, accessible).