The effects of violence on infants and young children: International perspectives on prevention

Abstract

Multiple factors contribute to violence, and only a multidisciplinary approach can be used to deal with this situation. Strategic errors committed by governments, such as not giving priority to basic health care or education, and foreign obligations producing severe economic recession, cause the people, especially children, to be subjected to political and social violence. Poverty and its associated risks are linked to violence. However, not all people living in poverty present problems of violence. Some results of living in poverty are high rates of child mortality, illiteracy, malnutrition, excessive population growth, street children, and the disintegration of families. Weak or nonexistent family ties can lead to frustration and hopelessness. In Brazil, an integrated action program was developed for at‐risk individuals and their families, based upon the idea of building and reinforcing family ties and intergenerational togetherness. Undernourished infants, street children, the handicapped, women subjected to violence, and neglected senior citizens received special interventions as part of the program described.

Violence against children in Latin America and Caribbean countries: a comprehensive review of national health sector efforts in prevention and response

“…Celia and colleagues [73] described Vida Centro Humano, a program that targeted poor populations in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The project provided integrated health education, culture, leisure, science, technology, and professional training to address social factors such as poverty to prevent violence [73]. No results of the intervention were provided with the description of the program [73].…”

“…The project provided integrated health education, culture, leisure, science, technology, and professional training to address social factors such as poverty to prevent violence [73]. No results of the intervention were provided with the description of the program [73]. Two publications reported on the Juntos , cash transfer project, conducted among low-income caregivers of children aged 19 years and younger of the primarily Quechuan-speaking region of Chuschi, Peru [79].…”

Examining northern Namibian teachers' impressions of the effects of violence, gender, disability, and poverty on young children's development: School-based countermeasures

“…Research about the effects of trauma on children is relatively recent, and interest has tended to focus largely on child abuse. Literature with an international focus is also recent, much of it on the general effects of children's chronic exposure to trauma (see, e.g., Celia et al, 1993;Garbarino et al, 1992). A modest but respectable body of knowledge has begun to emerge describing the effects of political violence and war trauma on children (see, e.g., Apfel and Simon, 1996;Cairns and Dawes, 1996;Dawes, 1994;Garbarino and Kostelny, 1996;Hobfoll and Stephens, 1990;Hoffman and Bizman, 1996;Jensen and Shaw, 1993;Ladd and Cairns, 1996;Machel, 1996;Macksoud and Aber, 1996;Miller, 1996;Mollica et al, 1997;Punamäki, 1996;Sack et al, 1996Sack et al, , 1997Scheper-Hughs, 1996;Straker et al, 1996).…”