Community
Violence
In 1997, in Chicago, studies showed that among 500 elementary school students one in four had witnessed
a shooting and one-third had seen a stabbing. 3 in 5 of those children who witnessed a shooting or stabbing, indicated the
incident resulted in death. More than 25% of these children had been victims of severe violence themselves—that is,
they had been shot at, suffered a knife attack, or had been beaten or mugged.
Prevention/Intervention Strategies
Despite parents' best efforts, children and adolescents may be exposed to community violence. However, they can be
helped to cope with the physical and psychological consequences. A caring, supportive adult in the child's life can greatly
ease a child's distress.
Spend time with the child and be sure the child understands that you are willing to listen.
Encourage
the child to talk about the trauma, but do not force him or her to speak.
Answer questions honestly in developmentally
appropriate language.
Be aware that children may develop new problem behaviors in reaction to the trauma.
These
reactions will require patience and understanding.
Seek assistance from friends, family, medical professionals, and
mental-health professionals for you and your child.
Some progress has been made in developing violence prevention programs.
The current focus for these programs is gang prevention and conflict resolution skill-building for high-risk youths.
However,
violence prevention programs appear to be more effective if children are engaged early (beginning before age 6) and the program
includes intervention in children's home and school social environments.
For more ideas on how to support children who
have been exposed to trauma or violence please see the following link from Chicago Safe Start:
http://www.chicagosafestart.net/bin/file/pdf/6C-4.%2095_Ways_Poster.pdf
The above information is provided
by Chicago Safe Start, for more information please visit http://www.chicagosafestart.net/
Together we can build a community of wellness and healing for our
families that values and supports the sacredness of childhood.