Violence a Serious Problem in The Americas
Washington, DC, September 25, 2003 (PAHO)—The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said in a report to hemispheric health ministers that the Americas is one of the areas with the highest levels of violence, a problem which in turn affects the region’s social and health environments.
"Violence is a social and health problem that threatens the development of nations, undermines the quality of life and erodes the social fabric," said the report presented at the PAHO Directing Council, a meeting of all the top health officials in the Americas.
"Although a global phenomenon, there is no doubt that the Region of the Americas is one of the areas with the highest levels of violence, a phenomenon that has had a significant negative impact, especially in some countries" of the Western Hemisphere.
The Directing Council meets once a year in those years when the Pan American Sanitary Conference does not meet. The Conference, which meets every five years, is PAHO’s supreme governing authority.
The PAHO study estimates that more than 120,000 people are murdered each year in the Americas, with an estimated under-reporting of 10 percent. In addition, another 55,000-plus commit suicide. Some of the study’s highlights include:
- Women and children are the victims of domestic violence.
- Young people are both victims and perpetrators of street violence.
- Sexual violence and violence in the workplace undermine the physical and psychological health of the people involved.
- Land mines leave their victims seriously compromised.
Violence as a social and health problem has long been a matter of serious concern for PAHO. In fact, in 1993, the 37th Directing Council approved a resolution urging PAHO’s Member States’ governments to establish national policies and plans for the prevention and control of violence.
PAHO says that more than 12 countries in the Americas have homicide rates per 100,000 population in excess of two digits. The rates for some of them are classified as very high or critical, including those for Colombia (65), Honduras (55), Guatemala (50), El Salvador (45), , Jamaica (44), Venezuela (35) and Brazil (28).
As for suicides, the highest rates have been recorded in Canada, Cuba, Grenada, the United States and Uruguay. However, in recent years, "outbreaks of suicide or suicide attempts have been observed among young people in a number of Central American countries."
There also the matter of youth violence, especially in El Salvador and Honduras where some 30,000 young people are involved in juvenile gangs known as maras. These maras, the PAHO study says, "are responsible for most of the violence in these countries."
Youth gangs are also present in Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, the United States, Guatemala, Jamaica, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, and in recent years in Chile and Costa Rica.
The problem of sexual violence "constitutes a significant health and security concern that affects men and women throughout their lifetimes."
Studies in different countries found that up to 36 percent of girls and 29 percent of boys have experienced child sexual abuse.
In addition, rape and domestic violence account for an estimated 5 percent to 16 percent of the healthy years of life lost to women of reproductive age.
PAHO was established in 1902 and is the world’s oldest public health organization. PAHO works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and the quality of life of its people. It serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO).
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