The Australian Human Rights Commission defines lateral violence, also known as horizontal violence, as ‘a product of a complex mix of historical, cultural and social dynamics that results in a spectrum of behaviours that include: gossiping; jealousy; bullying; shaming; social exclusion; family feuding; organisational conflict; and physical violence.’
[Lateral] violence comes from being colonised, invaded. It comes from being told you are worthless and treated as being worthless for a long period of time. Naturally you don’t want to be at the bottom of the pecking order, so you turn on your own.[2]
Lateral violence is ‘trying to feel powerful in a powerless situation’[3] and is a term often used to describe the types of violence perpetrated within subjugated groups, such as First Nations communities, people of colour, and people working in low paid professions. According to the Australian Human Rights Commission,
Acts of lateral violence establish new hierarchies of power within colonised groups that mimic those of the colonisers. That means, not only are we dealing with the harm that lateral violence causes individuals, we are also dealing with the destruction that it causes to the traditional structure and roles in our societies as we abandon our own ways and become the image of those who oppress us.
[2] R. Frankland (2009) A frank discussion on tackling black lateral violence, NIT, as cited on Creative Spirits.
[3] G. Phillips (2009) Healing Identity in Contemporary Australia: What is a real/traditional/grassroots Aborigine, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Seminar Series, Canberra.