Violence in the United States
- In 2001, homicide claimed the lives of
20,308 Americans. Suicide was responsible for the
deaths of 30,622 Americans (CDC 2003).
- Homicide is the second leading cause of death for persons 15 to
34 years of age and is
the leading cause of death for African-Americans in this age-group
(CDC 2003).
- In 2001, 4,032 women more than 19 years of age were victims of homicide in the
United States (CDC 2003).
- There were 29,573 firearm-related deaths in
2001 (CDC 2003).
- In 2001, more than
2 million nonfatal violence-related injuries occurred in the United
States (CDC 2003).
Current Activities of the Division The Division of Violence Prevention
supports both intramural and extramural projects and activities to prevent violence. These
activities focus on primary prevention of violence through a public health approach that
complements the approaches used by criminal justice, education, and the many other
disciplines that work in this area. Some of the projects supported by the division
include:
- National
Sexual Violence Resource Center
is a clearinghouse of information, resources and research,
related to all aspects of sexual violence.
Activities include collecting, reviewing, cataloging, and
disseminating information related to sexual violence; coordinating
efforts with other organizations and projects; providing technical
assistance and customized information packets on specific topics;
and maintaining a website with current information including
upcoming conferences, funding opportunities, job announcements,
research, special events, links to state and territory coalitions,
and other resources.
The NSVRC also produces a biannual newsletter, The
Resource;
recommends speakers for conferences; coordinates
national sexual assault awareness activities; and identifies
emerging policy issues and research needs.
The NSVRC serves coalitions, local rape crisis centers,
government and tribal entities, colleges and universities, service
providers, researchers, allied organizations, policy-makers, and
the general public. Contact NSVRC
toll free at 877-739-3895.
www.nsvrc.org
-
National
Violent Death Reporting System
CDC is working to establish a National Violent Death Reporting
System (NDVRS) to gather detailed data from states about violent
deaths in America. Violent deaths include homicides, suicides,
deaths from legal intervention, and deaths of undetermined
cause. The system will pull together information from multiple
sources on the state level to gain an accurate understanding of the
problem. Such information will assist policymakers and
community leaders in making educated decisions about strategies and
programs to prevent violence. For more information, please see
the CDC fact sheet or the NDVRS brochure, available on the website
of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center.
www.nviss.org
- National
Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center
serves
as a user-friendly, single point of access for information and
materials available from federal agencies working to prevent
violence and suicide among our nation’s youth. The resource center
is a collaboration between the CDC and other federal agencies. The
center’s web site, toll-free hotline 1-866-SAFEYOUTH
(723-3968),
and fax-on-demand service offer information about prevention
programs, publications, research and statistics, and fact sheets.
The site links parents, teens, and researchers to materials designed
specifically for those audiences.
www.safeyouth.org
- Violence
Against Women Electronic Network
Provides
support for the development, implementation, and maintenance of
effective violence against women intervention and prevention efforts
at the national, state, and local levels through electronic
communication and information dissemination.
VAWnet participants, including state domestic violence and
sexual assault coalitions, allied organizations, and individuals,
have access to online database resources.
Network members are able to engage in information sharing,
problem-solving, and issue analysis via electronic mail and a series
of issue-specific forums facilitated by nationally recognized
experts in the field of violence against women.
VAWnet also operates an extensive searchable electronic
library available to the general public,
providing links to external sources; an “In the News” section;
and access to articles and audio and video resources focused on
intimate partner and sexual violence and related issues.
www.vawnet.org
- Demonstration
Projects for the Early Intervention and Prevention of Sexual
Violence and Intimate Partner Violence among Racial And Ethnic
Minority Populations
CDC funds 10 projects to prevent intimate partner violence and
sexual violence among various racial and ethnic populations,
including African Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives,
Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The
projects were selected based on their capacity to identify and
respond to the special needs of the target groups. Project staff
will develop and evaluate programs for children, victims and
perpetrators; programs to prevent dating violence among school-aged
youth; or programs that link victims with community-based service
providers. Components of each of the projects will vary. For
more information, see:
www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/demosipv.htm
- Rape
Prevention and Education Grants
CDC's
Injury Center offers technical assistance to state health
departments and sexual assault coalitions to help them more
effectively use funds received through the Violence Against Women
Act. The funds-designed to enable states to educate communities
about sexual assault and develop programs to prevent it--support
educational seminars, hotlines, training programs for professionals,
development of informational materials, and special programs for
underserved communities. At least 25% of funds for the rape
prevention and education programs must target junior high and high
school students. With CDC's support, states and territories have
strengthened their infrastructure to address sexual violence,
provide more extensive services to survivors of sexual assault and
rape, and implement prevention and education programs. For more
information please see:
www.cdc.gov/ncipc/res-opps/rape.htm
International
Efforts
Publications
-
A Public Health Training Network Satellite Broadcast
View and Print Objectives
RealVideo of Satellite Broadcast
You must have RealVideo
installed to view this broadcast.
- Best
Practices of Youth Violence Prevention: A Sourcebook for Community
Action
- Emergency
Medical System Responses to Suicide-Related Calls – Maine, November
1999 - October 2000
- Facts About Violence Among Youth and Violence in Schools
- Fatal Firearm Injuries in the
United States, 1962-1994. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 1997, Violence Surveillance Summary
Series, No. 3.
- Homicide and Suicide among Native
American, 1979-1992. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National
Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 1996, Violence Surveillance Summary Series, No.
2.
-
Homicide Trends and Characteristics --- Brazil, 1980--2002.
- Influence
of Homicide on Racial Disparity in Life Expectancy--- United
States, 1998
- Injuries
from Violent Crime, 1992-98,
U.S. Department of Justice
- Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Fact
Sheet
- New Resource Center Provides A Central Source for Youth Violence and Suicide Prevention Information
- Nonfatal
Physical Assault--Related Injuries Treated in Hospital Emergency
Departments ---United States, 2000
- Nonfatal
Self-Inflicted Injuries Treated in Hospital Emergency
Departments --- United States, 2000
- Prevention of Youth Violence: A Framework for Community Action. Atlanta, GA: Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 1993.
-
Recent Trends in
Violence-Related Behaviors Among High School Students the United States.
JAMA.
1999;282:440-446.
-
School-Associated Violent Deaths in the United States, 1994-1999
-
Sexual
Violence Surveillance: Uniform Definitions and Recommended Data
Elements
- Spotlight on Domestic Violence
- Suicide
Surveillance Summary, 1980-1992. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 1996. Violence Surveillance Summary
Series, No. 1.
- Suicide Among Black
Youths -- United States, 1980-1995 from the Weekly Morbidity and Mortality Reports,
1998.
- Suicide Prevention
Evaluation in a Western Athabaskan American Indian Tribe - New Mexico, 1988-1997 from the Weekly
Morbidity and Mortality Reports, 1998.
- Surveillance
for Homicide Among Intimate Partners — United States,
1981–1998
- Temporal
Variations in School-Associated Student Homicide and Suicide
Events -- United States, 1992-1999
- Variation in
Homicide Risk Over the Course of Infancy, United States,
1989-1998
- Youth Violence Prevention: Descriptions and Baseline Data from 13 Evaluation Projects, American
Journal of Preventive Medicine, Supplement to Volume 12, Number 5, September/October
1996.
Spotlights
References
CDC. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System [Online]. (2003). National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). Available from: URL:
www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.
|