My work contributes to two overarching discussions:

1. Through my research and advocacy activities I want human rights and development scholars and practitioners to understand that they need to take serious every-day, urban violence as significant in itself. That is rather rather than seeing human rights violations as extra-ordinary violations against for instance human rights defenders or as a mere function of bad development or lack of governance.

2. Through my research on gangs, radicalization and policing I want to contribute to a different approach in criminal justice away from punishment. The current, quasi-dominant approach is destructive of our society and not only a violation of the human rights offenders.