Email CCSD or Vis-à-vis | CCSD Home Page| Table of Contents (current issue)Unfortunately, this view of the world is more wish than reality. While awareness of violence in the lives of young people has increased greatly in the last decade, many of us still underestimate the problem and its far-reaching effects. Not everyone understands or is sympathetic.
The reality is that too many young people are the victims and witnesses of long-term sexual, physical, emotional and psychological abuse. They also are victims of sexual and physical assault, homophobia, and sexual and racial harassment. Most often they are attacked by someone they know, in a familiar environment such as the home, school or neighbourhood.
Violence has serious effects on the short- and long-term health of young people, on their development and on their ability to reach their potential. There are some alarming trends. Increasingly, both boys and girls are perpetrators of violence against other youth and adults. Teachers and youth workers say violence, often with a weapon, is being used as the first means of solving disputes among younger and younger children.
The effects of different types of violence are just beginning to be identified. For example, living with violence has been linked to increased use of drugs and alcohol. This may result in long- term addiction that does not respond to treatment because the underlying causes have not been addressed. Violent victimization also can be the cause of eating disorders, tobacco use and promiscuity, which can lead to sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancies.
Experiences of sexual, physical or psychological violence can have devastating effects on self-esteem, which can, in turn, have many other effects: poor general health; lower school grades, failure and dropping out; difficulties in finding and keeping a job; and problems in forming healthy, violence-free relationships.
The prevention of violence is essential to the health and well-being of young people. Health care providers have an important role in detecting and preventing youth violence because they see youth in a variety of settings, often on a one-to-one basis over time.
We have learned some important lessons about working effectively with youth. First, we must listen to young people as they express their hopes and concerns. The most effective programs actively involve youth in their design and delivery. This issue of Vis-…-vis reports on a number of exciting projects across Canada.
Violence cannot be addressed in isolation from youth's other concerns, but it could be a much greater focus of programming than it is now. The television serials can become the reality.
Diane Kinnon and Louise Hanvey are research consultants in the Ottawa area. They worked on the bilingual report, Violence in Society: A Public Health Perspective, which is available free of charge from Canadian Public Health Association, 1565 Carling Avenue, Suite 400, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 8R1. Tel: (613) 725-3769, fax: 725-9826. For more information, contact:Dianne Kinnon P.O. Box 4325, Station E
Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B3
Tel: (613) 729-0021, fax: 729-0099
E-mail: dkinnon@igs.net
Email CCSD or Vis-à-vis | CCSD Home Page| Table of Contents (current issue)