Violence Involving Youth

• Six hundred and fifty nine children ages 12 and younger were murdered in 1999 (Federal Bureau of Investigations, 2000).
• Firearms were used in more than half of all murders of youth ages 0-18 (Ibid).
• One-third of 11-18 year olds were involved in at least one serious violent fight in the past twelve months (Udry, 1998).
• Thirty-three percent (33%) of all sexual assault victims reported to police were between the ages of 12 and 17 (Snyder, 2000).

Overview

Violence committed against and committed by the youth of America is a serious problem. The victimization of youth ranges from child abuse, child sexual abuse, gang violence and youth-on-youth attacks to hate violence, rape and murder. In alarming rates, young people are turning to violence to resolve their problems and to criminal activity as a lifestyle choice. There are many theories about this type of violence. Some theorists suggest that children learn from their environment-- be it the influence of a crime filled neighborhood, an abusive home, or an isolated rural area where support services are minimal.

Communities across America are responding by offering a multitude of programs to help decrease youth crime and victimization. Parenting skills development programs have been established in many communities to educate parents about coping skills -- including practicing positive anger management -- in hopes of reducing child abuse and domestic violence in the home environment.

In addition, school systems are beginning to develop intervention programs aimed at detecting child abuse. Such programs are integrated within school systems and offer children and youth a safe haven to turn to when a crisis occurs.

Educators have stressed the importance of developing educational curricula which teach self-esteem, conflict resolution skills, respect for cultural diversity and pride in one's culture. Effective curricula in this area are introduced in early childhood education and are consistently reinforces throughout the duration of a child's educations. Such efforts require the support of parents, teachers, social workers and community leaders working together.

Programs for At-risk Youth

Another approach to address youth violence is the development of programs where at-risk youth are united with inmates to see first hand the consequences of anti-social, criminal behavior. The innovative "Impact of Crime on Victims" program sponsored by the California Youth Authority teaches youthful offenders about how their criminal actions affect their victims, their families, their communities, and themselves.

Communities can offer volunteer opportunities for youth, neighborhood crime watch programs and mentor programs. Such programs empower young people to feel a sense of responsibility to their communities and some control over their future.

Programs such as these can begin to address violence against our children -- an investment that is essential to our society's future. Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children's Defense Fund, sums up the importance of this goal: "The in attention to our children by our society poses a greater threat to our safety, harmony, and productivity that any external enemy."

Youth and the Internet

Adults are not the only ones spending time online. More than 30 million U.S. children have online access (Pew Internet and American Life, 2001). According to a study by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 1 out 5 youth ages 10-17 who use the internet regularly received at least one sexual solicitation over the past year (Finkelhor, 2000). More disturbing is that less than 10 percent (10%) of sexual solicitations are reported to authorities such as a law enforcement agency, an internet service provider, or a hotline (Ibid).

Youth can be easy prey for online predators. Parents and care-givers need to monitor the time children spend online. Teaching youth to safe guard personal information is an effective method of safety planning. Online safety awareness for youth is extremely important.

References

Federal Bureau of Investigations. Crime in the United States 1999. (2000). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice.

Finkelhor, David. (2000). Online Victimization: A Report on the Nation's Youth. Alexandria, VA: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Pew Internet and American Life. (2001). http://cyberatlas.internet.com/big_picture/geographics/article/0,,5911_594751,00.html. Retrieved June 21, 2001.

Snyder, Howard N. (2000). Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice.

Udry, Richard. (1998). The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. http://www.cpc.unc.edu/projects/addhealth/. Retrieved June 20, 2001. The University of North Carolina.

Bibliography

Hopkins, Susan and Winters, Jeffery, eds. Discover the World: Empowering Children to Value Themselves, Others and the Earth. Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1990.

Nieto, Sonia. Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multi-cultural Education. White Plains: Longman Publishing Group, 1992.

Prothrow-Stith, Deborah. Deadly Consequences: How Violence is Destroying out Teenage Population and a Plan to Begin Solving the Problem. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1991.

For additional information, please contact:

The Bradley Center to Prevent Handgun Violence
1225 Eye Street, NW
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 289-7319

Children's Defense Fund
25 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 628-8787

National Crime Prevention Council
1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW
13^th Floor
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 466-6272

National School Safety Center
141 Duesenberg Drive
Suite 11
Westlake Village, CA 91362
(805) 373-9977

National Parent Teacher Association
330 N. Wabash Avenue
Suite 2100
Chicago, IL 60611
(312)-670-6782
(800)-307-4PTA (4782)

California Youth Authority
4241 Williamsborough Drive
Suite 214
Sacramento, CA 95823
(916) 262-1392

All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2001 by the National Center for Victims of Crime.   This information may be freely distributed, provided that it is distributed free of charge, in its entirety and includes this copyright notice.