Anti-racism group CURB has joined calls to tackle the root cause of antisocial behaviour following the recent outbreak of violence.Both the Coalition for the Protection of Children and the Family Centre called for a greater focus on social issues after 22-year-old Steven Jireh Iris was fatally stabbed and another man shot.A spokeswoman for Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda (CURB) said yesterday the group fully endorses the statements made by the two charities, urging Government and the private sector to address the causes of gang violence, poverty and social dysfunction.“In January 2011 CURB made a submission to the Joint Select Committee on Violent Crime and Gang Violence,” the spokeswoman said. “That report not only detailed many of the root causes of today’s social issues but also provided strategies and solutions.“Action will require a community-based effort, with Government ensuring each Ministry does its part in supporting the initiative.“We cannot continue to apply stopgap bandages to our social problems; we must understand the root cause and seek to put in place preventive measures.”She said Bermuda must look at and seriously evaluate the Island’s “punitive culture” and consider a model focusing on restorative justice.“Restorative justice works on the premise that conflict, even criminal conflict, inflicts harm and therefore individuals and communities must take responsibility for repairing that harm,” she explained.“It is a holistic model that provides solutions that promote repair, reconciliation and rebuilding of relationships by those who are harmed, the perpetrators and the affected communities.“The violence and dysfunction will continue to exist until we, as a community united, address the root causes of today’s social issues, and create supportive programmes that value every individual.”