Impact of violence and prevention strategies discussed at symposium.

2003 JUL 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) hosted a June 2003 symposium in Washington, DC, that focused on the public health impact of violence and strategies to reduce it.

The meeting, "Alliances for the Prevention of Violence," also launched two books examining the roots, consequences, and prevalence of violence in the Americas and around the world: the World Health Organization's World Report on Violence and Health and PAHO's Violence Against Women: The Health Sector Responds.

Experts at the symposium analyzed violence in relation to mental health, childhood, women, and community prevention strategies, citing examples of successful programs. Dr. Etienne Krug, head of WHO's Department of Violence and Injury Prevention, presented a summary of the World Report on Violence and Health, first released late in 2002.

In the Americas, more than 300,000 people die each year as a result of violence, suicide, or accidental injury. Interpersonal violence is the third-leading cause of death among people 15 to 44 years old. Some studies show that a third of women age 16 to 49 have, at some point in their lives, been victims of sexual abuse. In the last decade, rates of armed urban violence have increased along with the number of youth gangs.

The Inter-American Coalition for the Prevention of Violence was formed in June 2000 to address this scenario. Its members include PAHO, the Inter-American Development Bank, UNESCO, the Organization of American States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Bank, and USAID.

WHO's report on violence is being presented in a number of countries throughout the Americas to raise awareness among governments and institutions about violence and strategies to prevent it.

According to Dr. Alberto Concha-Eastman, PAHO regional advisor on violence and injury prevention, effective violence prevention strategies have been used in countries such as Colombia, where the so-called "carrot law" succeeded in reducing violence through community measures. (In Colombia, "carrot" is commonly used to describe a person with healthy habits.)