Spotlight Series: Violence Prevention

PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre Spotlight Series 

Reference Number: USA-210

Official Title: PAHO/WHO CC for Injury Control
Institution: National Center for Injury Prevention & Control (NCIPC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Reference Number: BRA-61

Official Title: PAHO/WHO CC for Research on Violence Prevention
Institution: Núcleo de Estudos da Violência (NEV), University of Sao Paulo (USP) 

Non Communicable

Category 2 (SP 14-19) 

 Outcome 15 (SP 20-25)


Baer
Ms. Baer

Ms. Britta Baer, Advisor, Community Violence, is the PAHO staff member who supports the WHO focal point to coordinate the collaboration between the institution and the Organization.   

The main activities of these Centres include: (1) providing technical expertise for regional meetings; (2) collecting and disseminating information; (3) supporting capacity-building and training; and (4) developing evidence-based tools and guidance.

The Centre at the Núcleo de Estudos da Violência (NEV),  is a well-known centre of excellence on violence prevention. The Centre has supported PAHO/WHO to strengthen access to the evidence base on risk factors, consequences, and the preventability of violence, including specific research on violence against children, adolescents and youth in Brazil. This work contributed to preparations for and discussions at PAHO’s Expert meeting on Strengthening a Public Health Approach to Youth Violence in October 2019. The Centre has also supported peer review of WHO global guidance on violence prevention, including support to the questionnaire validation process for the Global Status Report on the prevention of Violence Against Children, review of Portuguese translations of INSPIRE and a training for African Lusophone countries.

The Centre at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control is a well-known leader and key collaborator on violence and injury prevention. For example, the Centre has collaborated with WHO/PAHO in planning, implementing, and disseminating national Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS) in El Salvador, Honduras and Colombia. Together with PAHO and other partners, the Centre co-developed INSPIRE: Seven strategies to end violence against children[1] and continues to support related capacity-building activities at the national, regional and global level. The Centre also supported development of global guidance on child maltreatment and school-based violence prevention.

[1] This collaboration resulted in three publications: (1) INSPIRE: Seven strategies to end violence against children. Technical package. (2) INSPIRE handbook: action for implementing the seven strategies for ending violence against children, and (3) INSPIRE Indicator Guidance and Results Framework.

Webnotes such as these serve to inform how Collaborating Centres are contributing to the Organization’s priorities and mandates.