Selected Topics - Injuries and Violence

• Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse
  The ADFV Clearinghouse is a national resource on Australian domestic and family violence policy, practice and research for government, the academy, and the general community.
• Injury Risk Management Research Centre (IRMRC)
  The IRMRC is an independent cross-faculty research centre of UNSW, with strong links to the Faculties of Engineering, Medicine and Science. The centre aims to be a leading source of information on risk management both nationally and internationally.

Events

• School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UNSW - Upcoming Events

Global policies and related documents

• Approaches to Comprehensive National Policies on Ageing: Government - NGO Cooperation United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 2004
• Strengthening care of injured children globally
  "Part of the solution to the growing problem of child injury is to strengthen the care that injured children receive. This paper will point out the potential health gains to be made by doing this and will then review recent advances in the care of injured children in individual institutions and countries. It will discuss how these individual efforts have been aided by increased international attention to trauma care. Although there are no major, well-funded global programmes to improve trauma care, recent guidance documents developed by WHO and a broad network of collaborators have stimulated increased global attention to improving planning and resources for trauma care. This has in turn led to increased attention to strengthening trauma care capabilities in countries, including needs assessments and implementation of WHO recommendations in national policy. Most of these global efforts, however, have not yet specifically addressed children. Given the special needs of the injured child and the high burden of injury-related death and disability among children, clearly greater emphasis on childhood trauma care is needed. Trauma care needs assessments being conducted in a growing number of countries need to focus more on capabilities for care of injured children. Trauma care policy development needs to better encompass childhood trauma care. More broadly, the growing network of individuals and groups collaborating to strengthen trauma care globally needs to engage a broader range of stakeholders who will focus on and champion the improvement of care for injured children." [author abstract]
• UNHCR Position on claims for refugee status under the 1951 Convention, relating to status of refugees based on a fear of prosecution due to an individual's membership of family or clan engaged in a blood feud
• WHO Helmet Initiative
  The World Health Organization Helmet Initiative promotes the use of motorcycle and bicycle helmets worldwide and serves as a resource for those wishing to learn more about helmets and to promote their use. The Helmet Initiative stimulates and provides a resource to public health agencies, safety organisations, nongovernmental organisations and other agencies to promote the use of helmets.
• WHO Multicountry Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence Against Women
  This report presents initial results of a study based on interviews with 24 000, implemented by WHO, in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), PATH, USA, research institutions and women's organisations in the participating countries. Report findings document the prevalence of intimate partner violence and its association with women's physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health The report concludes with 15 recommendations to strengthen national commitment and action on violence against women. Data from the report show that violence against women is widespread and demands a public health response.

Reports, guidelines and projects

• A public health approach to developing armed violence indicators
  This paper articulates a public health approach to understanding and preventing armed violence, including an organizational framework for enhancing violence prevention capacity with elements covering leadership; data collection; collaboration and information exchange; implementation of prevention programming, and victim care and support systems. It argues that the collection of information solely on, for instance, gun-related violence, is of limited value from a prevention perspective, and therefore that armed violence indicators should be collected as part of a larger set of indicators covering other aspects violence, and country status in respect of violence prevention and victim care capacity. Accordingly, the recommended indicators are grouped into the following three categories: violence prevention and victim care capacity; risk factors for violence, and incidence rates of violence. Examples of possible indicators under each of these headings are provided, and the standard conceptual requirements that indicators be reliable, consistent, comparable and based upon easily available data is [sic] noted. A review of data currently available through WHO sources highlights the wide differences that exist between regions, countries and types of indicator, and shows that data to calculate global baseline values for any of the proposed indicators are lacking. For homicide rate, the most widely available indicator, it is possible to calculate baseline values for the WHO regions of the Americas and Europe, and for violence prevention and victim care capacity, baseline values can be calculated for Europe only. For developing a system to track violence worldwide, the review suggests that, despite major regional gaps in coverage, existing WHO datasets and WHO-coordinated surveys contain a good deal of the information needed to design and test some of the proposed public health indicators for violence prevention and response capacity, risk factors, and outcomes. WHO should therefore be supported to improve access to its existing data holdings, and ensure that as new information initiatives are planned and implemented, items addressing violence are included. Ideally, this should be done within the framework of the WHO Global Health Observatory that is currently being developed, so that once violence indicators are included, the relationships between them and other health outcomes can be more readily explored. [author abstract] [WHO, c2009]
• Addressing Gender-Based Violence in the Latin American and Caribbean Region: A Critical Review of Interventions
  This World Bank report by Sarah Bott, Mary Ellsberg, and Andrew Morrison examines strategies to prevent and address gender-based violence in Latin America in legal, institutional, and community frameworks.
• Addressing the Intersection: Preventing Violence and Promoting Healthy Eating and Active Living
  Across the country, healthy food and activity leaders have identified violence and the fear of violence as major roadblocks to the success of chronic disease prevention strategies. The impact of violence in communities is far-reaching: when people don't feel safe in their communities, they are less likely to use local parks and community centers and access services such as public transportation. When parents don't feel safe in their communities, they are hesitant to let their children play outside or walk to school. Also, communities perceived as being unsafe are less likely to benefit from investments such as grocery stores. Until now, very little research on the impact of community violence on healthy eating and activity — and potential solutions — has been done… Addressing the Intersection provides an explanation of the inter-relationship between violence and healthy eating and activity. The findings and recommendations offered in this paper can support practitioners and advocates in their work to prevent chronic disease in communities heavily impacted by violence. We also hope that this paper will be a resource for a broader audience, including funders, policymakers, researchers, and anyone working to build safe, healthy communities. [publisher overview] Executive summary. [Prevention Institute, May-September 2010]
• Armed Violence: A Health Problem, a Public Health Approach
  At the World Health Assembly in 1996, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared violence ‘‘a leading worldwide public health problem’’ and called for public health strategies to address it. The WHO’s call to action, as well as an international political movement that is gaining strength, has helped galvanize health professionals in many countries to employ the tools of public health and their medical skills to better understand the causes of violence, to use research findings to influence policy, and to animate statistics with a human face. This paper reviews the scope of the problem, with a focus on armed violence with small arms and light weapons. It presents a history of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War’s (IPPNW) involvement in this issue. A case example from IPPNW/ Zambia demonstrates how health community involvement can raise awareness about armed violence and its risk factors, and influence policy changes. [author abstract] [Journal of Public Health Policy (2007) 28, 389–400]
• Associations between maternal experiences of intimate partner violence and child nutrition and mortality: findings from Demographic and Health Surveys in Egypt, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi and Rwanda
  Background: If effective interventions are to be used to address child mortality and malnutrition, then it is important that we understand the different pathways operating within the framework of child health. More attention needs to be given to understanding the contribution of social influences such as intimate partner violence (IPV). Aim: To investigate the relationship between maternal exposure to IPV and child mortality and malnutrition using data from five developing countries. Methods: Population data from Egypt, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi and Rwanda were analysed. Logistic regression analysis was used to generate odds ratios of the associations between several categories of maternal exposure to IPV since the age of 15 and three child outcomes: under-2-year-old (U2) mortality and moderate and severe stunting (<-2 Z-score height-for-age and <-3 Z-score height-for-age) in 6e59-month-old children. Analyses were adjusted for potential confounders, and the role of mediating factors was explored. Results: The prevalence of physical and/or sexual IPV since the age of 15 years ranged from 15.5% (Honduras) to 46.2% (Kenya). For child stunting, prevalence ranged from 25.4% (Egypt) to 58.0% (Malawi) and for U2 mortality from 3.6% (Honduras) to 15.2% (Rwanda). In Kenya, maternal exposure to IPV was associated with higher U2 mortality (adjusted odds ratio (OR)=1.42, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.71) and child stunting (adjusted OR=1.36, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.61). In Malawi and Honduras, marginal associations were observed between IPV and severe stunting and U2 mortality, respectively, with strength of associations varying by type of violence. Conclusion: The relationship between IPV and U2 mortality and stunting in Kenya, Honduras and Malawi suggests that, in these countries, IPV plays a role in child malnutrition and mortality. This contributes to a growing body of evidence that broader public health benefits may be incurred if efforts to address IPV are incorporated into a wider range of maternal and child health programmes; however, the authors highlight the need for more research that can establish temporality, use data collected on the basis of the study’s objectives, and further explore the causal framework of this relationship using more advanced statistical analysis. [author abstract] [J Epidemiol Community Health (2010), jech.2008.081810 - Published Online: 14 September 2010]
• Battered Women: A Working Guide for Crisis Intervention
  "This material was prepared to contribute to the training process of those who will be working directly with women suffering conjugal violence. These women experience not only the constant threat of new abuses, but also the pernicious effects of this violence and the real and repeated aggression that they have undergone. In view of the fact that the overwhelming majority of victims of conjugal aggression are women, this material deals only with the problem of abuse towards women. In those cases of violence towards the male, some basic principles can also be garnered from this material; however, we recommend that the suitability of the workbook be reviewed and other materials be sought, which would be more appropriate for that problem. This Guide deals specifically with the topic of intervention in crisis situations, known also as ‘emergency circumstances’. This topic was selected because of its importance in the problem detection process, since crisis situations constitute one of the principal motives for women to seek out services, and primordially, because it is the first step in protecting human lives, a start on the road to achieve positive changes; thus, we can show our commitment to building a better society for future generations." [Pan-American Health Organization, Women, Health and Development Program, Gender and Public Health Series 1, 1999]
• Beyond Firewood: Fuel Alterntives and Protection Strategies for Displaced Women and Girls
  "...The environment that surrounds refugee or internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, particularly in situations of ongoing conflict, is notoriously dangerous. Yet every day, in hundreds of camps around the world, millions of women and girls venture out into this danger, risking rape, assault, abduction, theft, exploitation or even murder, in order to collect enough firewood to cook for their families..." Published by the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, this report examines the plight of these women and children and offers various alternative strategies to reduce the risks.
• Can we compare violence data across countries?
  Objectives: The paper aims to explore what knowledge can be obtained about violence through population- based data and additionally, through inter-country comparisons of violence data. Study design and methods: Data on lifetime and 12-month experiences of violence and/or severe threats of violence were obtained from self-administered questionnaires supplementary to nationwide, cross-sectional health interview surveys conducted in Greenland in 1993-94 (N=2,425) and in Denmark in 2000 (N=16,684). The overall response rate achieved for the self-administered questionnaire was 63 % (N=1,393) in Greenland and 63 % (N=10,458) in Denmark. Results: A comparison of violence data shows that overall, the violence prevalence was significantly higher in Greenland than Denmark. Experienced violence and/or severe threats amongst Greenlandic women was almost as prevalent as amongst Greenlandic men – especially so for severe lifetime violence. This was not the case for the Danish sample. Significantly more Danish men than Danish women reported experienced violence and/or severe threats for all age groups. Conclusion: Comparing violence data across countries enables us to describe actual differences in violence prevalence, as well as to highlight potential methodological discrepancies and cultural and gender differences in understanding and, thus, reporting of violence. This knowledge can be implemented in the development and improvement of existing and new prevention strategies. [International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2004; vol. 63, suppl 2: pp.389-395]
• Child Protection in Emergencies
  This report from Save the Children examines the plight of children in emergency situations. It outlines the international legal frameworks that govern the rights of children including human rights law and security council resolutions, as well as the psycho-social implications for the children themselves. It offers recommendations and suggests protection priorities, encompassing integrating and implementing protection, gender based violence, children associated with armed forces and the provision of education.
• Comparing Pretesting Methods: Cognitive Interviews, Respondent Debriefing, and Behavior Coding
  This paper by Kristen Ann Hughees compares three methods of pretesting using the version of a series of computer-crime questions from the U.S. National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS); cognitive interviewing, respondent debriefing, and behavior coding.
• Delivering domestic violence preventive education programmes in schools and external settings: Good Practice Guidelines
  "Violence in the family cannot be hidden from children and young people. They will often witness violence, be aware of the tense atmosphere, and/or suffer as victims themselves. It is estimated that at least 11,000 children in Northern Ireland are living with domestic violence. Although research currently exists which outlines the extent of domestic violence against women and the effects on their lives, relatively little is known about its impact on children. As for women who live with domestic violence, every child’s experience will be different. Women’s Aid believes that the most positive way to reduce and eliminate domestic violence and its effects on children and young people is through a strategy of preventive education work. All children and young people should have access to domestic violence preventive education programmes. While Women’s Aid has been doing this work in approximately 100 schools to date, we do not have sufficient capacity to meet demand. The Women’s Aid Prevention Training Programme is designed to develop the skills of key professionals to enable and support them to undertake some of this work. Local Women’s Aid groups will also work in partnership with schools and other agencies to deliver effective domestic violence prevention programmes. This document provides information on the work of Women’s Aid to develop and deliver domestic violence prevention programmes. It includes good practice guidelines for professionals delivering Women’s Aid materials to children and young people in schools and external settings. The guidelines should be used to ensure a consistent and effective approach to preventive education." [Women’s Aid Federation Northern Ireland, Belfast, 2005]
• Drowning Prevention Strategy (New Zealand)
  On average, 130 people drown in New Zealand every year and about 650 are hospitalised as a result of water-related injuries. The Drowning Prevention Strategy: Towards a Water Safe New Zealand 2005-2015 provides a framework to guide the efforts of the water safety sector towards a Water-Safe New Zealand, free from drowning.
• European report on preventing violence and knife crime among young people
  "Many young people die or experience pain and disability from violence throughout the WHO European Region. Interpersonal violence is the third leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability among people aged 10–29 years in the 53 countries of the WHO European Region. This report is intended for policy-makers and practitioners from across the sectors of government as well as nongovernmental organizations and argues that much violence can be prevented using a public health approach." [WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2010]
• Family violence among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
  This report, published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, "presents information on the extent of violence (in particular family violence) in the Indigenous population, using existing surveys and administrative data collections. Information is presented on the prevalence of violence, associated harm and services for victims of violence, as well as on those in contact with the criminal justice system. The report also discusses gaps in existing information, the extent to which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are identified and strategies to improve the information on family violence. This report is a useful resource for policy makers, administrators of programs and researchers with an interest in issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples."
• Family Violence in Rural, Farm and Remote Canada
  This paper is published by the Canadian Farm Womens' Network. The researchers' focus is to identify the victims of family violence, state the acts of family violence, and record the current methods of dealing with family violence in order to define family violence in rural and farm communities. The conclusions based on the input of grassroots farm women's organisations in Canada will result in recommendations that could address and remedy the problem of family violence in rural communities and on family farms.
• Gangs of Central America: Causes, Costs, and Interventions
  "Violence is on the upswing in Central America, with the region currently exhibiting some of the highest rates of reported criminal violence in Latin America and indeed the world. The recent Global Burden of Armed Violence report estimates the annual global homicide rate to be around 7.6 per 100,000, yet in the Americas the figure exceeds 20 per 100,000, and in Central America it is almost 30 per 100,000. Not surprisingly, perhaps, homicide is described as one of the primary regional public health issues. Many factors have shaped this particular panorama of violence, which is both heterogeneous and dynamic… Most of this regional violence tends to be perpetrated and experienced among young men between 15 and 34 years of age. These statistics are not necessarily surprising considering that the most prominent aspect of the new landscape of Central American violence is the gang phenomenon. Although gangs have long been a feature of Central American societies, they have come to the fore in the region in an unprecedented manner since the early 1990s. Estimates of the total proportion of contemporary regional violence attributable to gangs vary widely — from 10 to 60 per cent — as they have been accused of a whole slew of crimes and delinquency, ranging from mugging, theft, and intimidation to rape, assault, and drug dealing." [Occasional Paper 23 of the Small Arms Survey, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, May 2009]
• Health implications of small arms and light weapons in eastern Uganda
  Small arms and light weapons (SALW), or “conventional weapons”, are those that can be operated by one or two individuals and include handguns, assault rifles, machine guns, grenades and landmines. It is estimated that there are 639 million small arms globally and more than half the world’s countries are involved in producing the 7.5-8 million new weapons and 10-14 billion rounds of ammunition annually. These weapons are known to cause the majority of deaths in conflict globally and increase the number of deaths occurring during robbery or assault, as well as enhancing the lethality of suicide. Estimates of the direct death toll due to SALW range widely from 80,000 to 500,000 per year and occur predominantly in the developing world. However, indirect deaths due to SALW are likely much higher than this as they provoke and prolong conflicts, precipitate genocide and disrupt the provision of humanitarian assistance and development initiatives, especially affecting women and children… Uganda is a potential area to study the health effects of SALW. It is a country that has suffered from conflict since independence in 1962. Currently, an eighteen-year war continues in the northern region, with the government fighting the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), an insurgency group characterized by brutal human rights abuses, the abduction of children for use as soldiers and an apocalyptic religious vision. This conflict has been fueled by SALW, leftover from previous Ugandan conflicts, from the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as from sources within the Sudanese government. [International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War] [also published in Medicine, Conflict and Survival, Volume 22, Issue 3, July 2006, pp.207-219]
• Injuries and Violence in Europe: Why they matter and what can be done
  "Injuries create huge human, financial and other costs to society. In the WHO European Region, road traffic injuries, drowning, poisoning, falls, fires, self-inflicted injuries and interpersonal violence are estimated to kill over 2000 people, put 60 000 others in hospital and necessitate outpatient emergency treatment for 600 000 more every day... This booklet summarizes the findings of a larger publication (in press) and identifies eight unique opportunities for policy-makers, civil-society organizations and professionals in the health sector to improve health by reducing the burden of injuries on the European Region….”
• Injury prevention and the attainment of child and adolescent health
  "Urgent attention is required to tackle the problem of child and adolescent injury across the world. There have been considerable shifts in the epidemiological patterns of child deaths; while great progress has been made in preventing infectious diseases, the exposure of children and adolescents to the risks of injury appear to be increasing and will continue to do so in the future. The issue of injuries is too often absent from child and adolescent health agendas. In December 2008, WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund published the World report on child injury prevention, calling global attention to the problem of child injuries. This article expands on the report’s arguments that child injuries must be integrated into child health initiatives and proposes initial steps for achieving this integration." [author abstract]
• Interventions to reduce violence and promote physical and psycho-social well-being of women who experience partner violence: a systematic review of controlled evaluations
  "...This report forms part of a research initiative on synthesis and review of evidence in public health. The aim of this report was to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions relevant to health care for the reduction of violence or improvement of the physical and psychosocial well-being of women who have experienced or are experiencing partner violence. Key findings include evidence to suggest that advocacy, support groups, psychological and system-centred interventions have been beneficial. Also highlighted is the usefulness of multi-agency case conferences…..”
• Make Roads Safe: A New Priority for Sustainable Development
  This report aims to focus political and public attention on a global road traffic injury epidemic that claims lives of more than 1.2 million people and injures around 50 million annually. Road traffic injuries are responsible for a global health burden similar to malaria and tuberculosis, and as those diseases road crashes hit developing countries hardest. Yet while the fight against malaria and TB justifiably commands considerable funding and political and media attention, global road safety is seriously under-resourced in all these respects.
• Preventing Injuries from Falls Strategy(New Zealand)
  Falls are the leading cause of injury hospitalisation and one of the top three causes of injury-related death in New Zealand. Most falls are preventable. This site outlines New Zealand's Preventing Injury from Falls Strategy, which provides a common goal and direction for falls prevention activities nationwide.
• Profiling Domestic Violence:A Multi-Country Study [4MB}
  "This study uses household and individual-level data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program to examine the prevalence and correlates of domestic violence and the health consequences of domestic violence for women and their children. It uses data from nine countries—Cambodia (2000), Colombia (2000), the Dominican Republic (2002), Egypt (1995), Haiti (2000), India (1998-1999), Nicaragua (1998), Peru (2000), and Zambia (2001-2002).”
• Silent voices: women with disabilities and family and domestic violence
  This 2003 report by Judith Cockram for People with Disabilities (Western Australia) presents the findings of research aimed at the nature and extent of domestic violence against women with disabilities and whether their needs were being met by the services provided. Includes an extensive review of the literature.
• Urban Violence and Insecurity: An Introductory Roadmap
  This paper addresses the following objectives: to define and systematically categorise the multiple forms of violence; to profile the measurement, trends and characteristics of urban violence; to identify interrelated causes, costs and consequences of the phenomenon; and to understand the different types of interventions to reduce violence at national, city and community level, focusing on the urban poor and excluded.
• Urban violence and public health in Latin America: a sociological explanatory framework
  Interpersonal violence has become one of the main public health issues in Latin American cities. This article presents a framework for sociological interpretation that operates on three levels, expressed in the factors that originate, foment, or facilitate violence. Macro-social factors include: social inequality due to the increase in wealth versus poverty; the paradox of more schooling with fewer employment opportunities; increasing expectations and the impossibility of meeting them; changes in family structure; and loss of importance of religion in daily life. At the meso-social level the analysis highlights: increased density in poor areas and urban segregation; masculinity cult; and changes in the local drug market. The microsocial level includes: an increase in the number of firearms; alcohol consumption; and difficulties in verbal expression of feelings. The article concludes with an analysis of how violence is leading to the breakdown not only of urban life but also of citizenship as a whole in Latin America. [author abstract] [Cad. Saúde Pública, Rio de Janeiro, 21(6): 1629-1664, Nov-Dec, 2005]
• Violence in the City: Understanding and Supporting Community Responses to Urban Violence
  "For millions of people around the world, violence, or the fear of violence, is a daily reality. Much of this violence concentrates in urban centers in the developing world… Some of the world’s highest homicide rates occur in countries that have not undergone wars but have violence epidemics in their urban areas. Concern over these experiences has made urban violence a central preoccupation of policymakers, planners, and development practitioners. This study emerged from a growing recognition that urban communities themselves are an integral part of understanding the causes and impacts of urban violence and for generating sustainable violence prevention initiatives… This study aims to understand how urban residents cope with violence, or the threat of it, in their everyday lives, to inform the design of policies and programs for violence prevention. The study is the first global study on urban violence undertaken by the World Bank and covers three regions… The work has been guided by five objectives: 1. Introduce the social dimensions of urban violence and review existing lessons for supporting community capacities to prevent violence. 2. Analyze from the community perspective the experience of violence in five urban areas [selected neighborhoods in Nairobi (Kenya), Johannesburg (South Africa), Port-au-Prince (Haiti), Fortaleza (Brazil), and Dili (Timor-Leste) during 2008 and 2009.], including the different forms of violence found there, their prevalence, impacts on different groups, and communities’ perceptions of the driving factors behind the violence. 3. Provide insights into community responses to high levels of violence, including individual and collective help-seeking behavior, and reliance on different informal and formal institutions to deal with and prevent violence. 4. Drawing on these insights, provide orientations to policymakers, especially mayors and municipal authorities, to inform successful violence-prevention interventions. 5. Suggest ways that the World Bank could be more involved in addressing the social dimensions of violence. The report is aimed at two audiences. First, the study addresses policymakers in the field, primarily mayors or municipal government officials tasked with addressing urban violence. It also is aimed at World Bank country teams and Task Team Leaders who wish to understand the social dimensions of urban violence to guide operations to address them." [The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development /The World Bank, April 2011]
• Workplace violence in the health sector – Case study: Bulgaria
  "As shown by most public opinion surveys, most Bulgarians live with the feeling of danger, insecurity, helplessness and pessimism in the conditions of economic and spiritual crisis in the Bulgarian society. These feelings are generated by the higher crime rate and impunity of the criminals. Robberies at home and in the street, assaults, rape, murders to settle accounts are almost a daily phenomenon. Even more alarming are the ever more frequent cases of unmotivated violence and sheer outburst of aggressiveness when innocent unknown people are beaten or murdered at schools, barracks, soccer playgrounds, discos and on the street. It may sound exaggerated, yet we could say that violence has, in one form or another, entered all Bulgarian homes. Yet even now in the conditions of democracy violence in the Bulgarian society is perceived with tolerance and is still shrouded in silence. Police officers, judges, investigators, chiefs, teachers, parents ignore the truth about violence committed in the social groups to which they belong. The approach of the institutions is much similar. Failing to interfere, they tacitly encourage and legitimise violence. The victim is blamed that she/he is responsible for what happened and subjected to victimisation." [WHO, Geneva, 2003]

Educational resources

• Domestic abuse
  This site, presented by the Nashville Police Department, Domestic Violence Section, outlines some of the warning signs of domestic violence. It also provides information about possible responses to violenceand services and resources available to victims.
• Domestic Violence - A practical guide for clinicians
  This article provides a general guide to domestic violence for medical practitioners. It includes information on risks and forms of domestic abuse, methods of screening, diagnosis and clinical findings, medical findings, continuity of care and documentation.
• E-MINE
  E-MINE (Electronic Mine Information Network) is a web-based information gateway designed to support both the planning and coordination of global mine action efforts by making available to all partners reliable information on mine action programmes, issues, best practices and technologies. It is a project of the United Nations Mine Action Service.
• Injury Control Resources Information Network(ICRIN)
  ICRIN is a list of key Internet accessible resources related to the field of injury research and control. The resources are in the form of annotated clickable hyperlinks to other Internet sources and documents.
• Injury Prevention Web
  "Injury Prevention Web hosts the web sites of several agencies and organizations working to prevent injuries. This site contains injury data for every U.S. state, more than 700 links to government and non-profit injury prevention sites worldwide, suggestions of books for your library, the gateway for information about scheduled NIITS sessions, and listings of jobs in the injury research and prevention field"
• International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre(CIS)
  CIS is the knowledge management arm of the InFocus Programme on Safety and Health at Work and the Environment. Its goal is to ensure that workers and everyone concerned with their protection have access to the facts they need to prevent occupational injuries and diseases. CIS continuously monitors world literature on occupational safety and health, providing summaries and citations of the most useful publications, as well as products based on the collected information.
• National Clearinghouse on Family Violence (Canada)
  This site serves as a national clearinghouse for Canadians seeking information about violence within the family and looking for new resources being used to address it. By providing access to the latest research findings the clearinghouse aims to help Canadian communities to work toward the eventual elimination of all forms of family violence.
• OSH-Net
  Osh.Net, an Internet gateway for occupational health and safety resources, is owned and published by WorkCare, a national, occupational health-consulting firm in the U.S.
• OSHWEB
  OSHWEB is an index of occupational safety and health resources on the Internet. The purpose of this site is to provide a good starting point for locating occupational safety and health information from the Net. OSHWEB has been developed by the Institute of Occupational Safety Engineering at Tampere University of Technology, Finland by Teuvo Uusitalo and is now maintained by and further developed by Markku Leppänen.

Organisations and Networks

UN and multinational

• Third Milestones of a Global Campaign for Violence Prevention Report 2007 – Scaling Up
  In the context of Milestones 2007, this WHO report documents progress in countries since 2002. Some key national achievements are: (a) Brazil has published its first national report on violence and health and has completed a national inventory of over 300 violence prevention programmes; (b) Malaysia has released its first national report on violence and health, developed one-stop crisis centres for victims of child maltreatment, and created services for survivors of intimate partner and sexual violence in all government hospitals throughout the country; (c) Mexico has published its first national report on violence and health and established within the Ministry of Health a national centre for the prevention of violence and injuries; (d) Mozambique has developed surveillance systems recording details of violence-related deaths and injuries and has assessed the number and quality of medico-legal services for victims of sexual violence; and (e) The United Kingdom has published its first national report on violence and health, created the Violence Reduction Unit within the Scottish Executive, and has promoted the work of the Cardiff Violence Crime Task Group as a model for community safety partnerships nationwide.
• UN/ECE Regional Co-ordinating Centre for the Prevention of Industrial Accidents
  This centre is charged with implementing the UN Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents which was signed in Helsinki in 1992.
• WHO-Collaborating Centre on Community Safety Promotion
  Amongst other activities this centre reviews applications from communities related to the six Indicators for Safe Communities, organises together with "Safe Communities" annual International and Regional Safe Community Conferences, co-ordinates training courses in injury prevention and safety promotion, publishes a newsletters: "Safe Community Weekly News and Safe Community News and involves in other conferences like the biannual "World Conferences on Injury Prevention and Control".

Government

• Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
  CCOHS is the Canadian Governments' agency for Occupational Health and Safety. CCOHS promotes a safe and healthy working environment by providing information and advice about occupational health and safety.
• European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
  The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work aims to make Europe’s workplaces safer, healthier and more productive. The European Agency acts as a catalyst for developing, collecting, analysing and disseminating information that improves the state of occupational safety and health in Europe. The Agency is a tripartite European Union organisation and brings together representatives from three key decision-making groups in each of the EU’s Member States – governments, employers and workers’ organisations.
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  The NHTSA is the U.S. government authority responsible for reducing deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes. This is accomplished by setting and enforcing safety performance standards for motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment, and through grants to state and local governments to enable them to conduct effective local highway safety programs.
• National Institute for Working Life
  The National Institute for Working Life is a national centre of knowledge for issues concerning working life in Sweden. The Institute carries out research and development covering the whole field of working life, on commission from The Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communications.
• National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
  The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the federal agency of the United States, responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Department of Health and Human Services.
• National Occupational Health and Safety Commission
  The National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC) is Australia’s national body that leads and coordinates national efforts to prevent workplace death, injury and disease in Australia. NOHSC’s vision is Australian workplaces free from injury and disease.
• New Zealand Injury Prevention Strategy
  The purpose of the New Zealand Injury Prevention Strategy is to establish a framework for the injury prevention activities of government agencies, local government, non-government organisations, communities and individuals. Its key focus is to strengthen and enhance the infrastructure that supports injury prevention activity to improve safety performance.
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (USA)
  OSHA's mission is to assure the safety and health of America's workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health.

Non Government

• American Institute of Stress
  The American Insitute of Stress is a non-profit organisation founded in 1978, to serve as a clearing house for information on all stress related subjects. The organisation includes physicians and health professionals with expertise in various stress related subjects, including the role of stress in cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and skin disease and immune system disturbances.
• Arts, Craft and Theater Safety
  "ACTS is a not-for-profit corporation, based in New York that provides health, safety, industrial hygiene, technical services, and safety publications to the arts, crafts, museums, and theater communities worldwide."
• Asian-Pacific Regional Network on Occupational Safety and Health Information
  The Asian-Pacific Regional Network on Occupational Safety and Health Information is a part of the global network of the ILO International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre (CIS). This site contains OH&S information by country and subject, links to standards and legislation, and accidents and diseases.
• Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children
  The Centre promotes the development of community-centred, action research on violence against women and children. The Centre's role is to facilitate the cooperation of individuals, groups and institutions representing the diversity of the community to pursue research questions and training opportunities to understand and prevent abuse.
• FaithTrust Institute
  FaithTrust Institute is an international, multifaith organisation working to end sexual and domestic violence. We provide communities and advocates with the tools and knowledge they need to address the religious and cultural issues related to abuse. FaithTrust Institute works with many communities, including Asian and Pacific Islander, Buddhist, Jewish, Latino/a, Muslim, Black, Anglo, Indigenous, Protestant and Roman Catholic.
• Health, Environment & Work
  This site was established and is maintained by Raymond Aguis, a Professor of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the University of Manchester. It contains links to detailed information onoccupational health and safety risks in a variety of settings; including identifying hazards, assessing risks and reducing and controlling risks.
• Industrial Accident Prevention Association
  The Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA) is a not-for-profit, member-driven organisation operating in the Province of Ontario Canada since 1917. Representing approximately 47,000 member firms and more than 1.5 million workers, IAPA is Canada’s largest health and safety organisation and has taken a leading role in the prevention of workplace injury and illness, working for improvement in the health and safety performance of our member firms.
• Industrial Foundation for Accident Prevention
  IFAP is a non-government, not-for-profit, member based organisation which provides services to improve safety and health at work in Western Australia. IFAP leads the Western Australian Occupational Safety and Health community by providing best practice solutions; access to knowledge and information; and a support network for practitioners.
• Institute for Work & Health
  The Institute for Work and Health is an Ontario-based research, quality improvement and education organisation. The role of the Institute is to research the underlying factors which contribute to workplace health and disability, evaluate designated Ontario rehabilitation facilities, and provide pertinent and timely information on workplace health and rehabilitation to health care workers and stakeholders through education products and workshops.
• International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH)
  ICOH is an international non-governmental professional society whose aims are to foster the scientific progress, knowledge and development of occupational health and safety in all its aspects. The ICOH is recognised by the United Nations as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and has close working relationships with ILO, WHO, UNEP and ISSA.
• International Stress Management Association
  The International Stress Management Association UK is a registered charity with a multi-disciplinary professional membership. It exists to promote sound knowledge and best practice in the prevention and reduction of human stress. It sets professional standards for the benefit of individuals and organisations using the services of its members.
• Injury Prevention Program
  The Injury Prevention Program at Loyola University is dedicated to assisting health care professionals, communities and organisations with assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of injury prevention strategies in an effort to reduce this public health problem. The program is committed to reducing injuries through a community based effort.
• International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention (ISCAIP)
  This society promotes a significant reduction in the number and severity of injuries both unintentional injury and violence to children and adolescents through international collaboration.
• Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI)
  The Public Entity Risk Institute's mission is to serve public, private, and nonprofit organisations as a dynamic, forward thinking resource for the practical enhancement of risk management. PERI provides synergy among existing programs and organisations and serves as a catalyst in the risk management field and a vehicle for allocating greater resources to key needs in risk management.
• SAFE KIDS
  Safe Kids Worldwide is a global network of organisations whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury, a leading killer of children 14 and under.
• Society of Toxicology (USA)
  The Society of Toxicology’s core purpose is to enhance human, animal, and environmental health through the science of toxicology. Its objectives include increasing excellence in science, promoting the use of science in regulatory and legislative decision making and encouraging increased investment of resources in toxicology.
• Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse
  The mission of the Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse (MINCAVA) is to support research, education, and access to violence related resources. It coordinates four major projects The MINCAVA Electronic Clearinghouse, Violence Against Women Online Resources, The Link Project and VAWnet (Applied Research Forum).
• Violence Policy Center
  The Violence Policy Center (VPC), a national non-profit organisation based in Washington, DC works to stop the annual toll of death and injury by gun suicides, homicides, and unintentional shootings through research, advocacy, education, and litigation. The VPC approaches gun violence as a public health issue, advocating that firearms be held to the same health and safety standards that virtually all other consumer products must meet.
• Violence Prevention Coalition of Greater Los Angeles
  "The VLPA is a county-wide network of public and private individuals and organizations dedicated to addressing violence as a public health issue. The VLPA includes members from public health, the medical community, the judiciary, law enforcement, education, university researchers, the media, the faith community the business community a
• War Child
  War Child is a network of independent organisations working across the world to help children affected by war. War Child was founded upon a fundamental goal: to advance the cause of peace through investing hope in the lives of children caught up in the horrors of war.
  - Mines Awareness / Clearance Project
  - Rehabilitation - Saurimo Hospital nd many, many community based organizations."
• Young Worker Awareness Program
  The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, Ontario's Youth Awareness Program aims to provide health and safety information for young workers, their employers, parents and teachers.

Academic Institutions with particular focus in this area

• Centre for Automative Research
  This Centre, at the University of Adelaide South Australia is focused on: conducting multidisciplinary research to understand how road crashes and the resulting injuries are caused; proposing and evaluating ways to prevent crashes and injuries; and providing independent professional advice on road safety matters to government and non-government organisations in Australia and overseas.
• Injury Research Centre
  The mission of the Injury Research Centre at the University of Western Australia is to apply a public health approach to the identification, prevention and control of injuries. The centre’s vision is to reduce the occurrence, severity and consequences of injuries through evidence-based practice by building a research infrastructure that supports integrated basic, strategic and priority-driven research as a platform for the development and implementation of cost-effective strategies for injury prevention that address state, national and international priorities
• Monash University Accident Research Centre (Australia)
  The Accident Research Centre is a leading Australian injury prevention and control research institute. Its charter includes safety in all modes of transport, in the workplace, in the community and in the home.
• Research Centre for Injury Studies
  Part of Flinders University, located in Adelaide, South Australia, the Research Centre for Injury Studies' mission is to contribute to reducing the burden of human injury and adding to knowledge of its nature, causes, effects and control. Staff of the Centre undertake research, surveillance, analysis, consultation, and teaching, and disseminate information on injury control and related matters to public health and other practitioners, academics, government and the community.

Key Conferences, conference and workshop reports

Coming conferences

Conference reports

Journals, Newsletters, Forums

• LabourStart
  LabourStart is an online news service maintained by a global network of volunteers which aims to serve the international trade union movement by collecting and disseminating information -- and by assisting unions in campaigning and other ways.

Bibliographies, Libraries

Public health bookshops

• Public Health bookshop