FACTSHEET:
Campus Crimes: Federal & State Legislation
Federal Legislation;
State Legislation;
References;
Bibliography;
For additional information
|
Factsheets: Violence Involving Youth
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. 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." 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. 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. 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 Children's Defense Fund National Crime Prevention Council National School Safety Center National Parent Teacher Association California Youth Authority 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. |
Voices and Faces:
Victoria Sherden 
"People think you can't be raped by your own husband or boyfriend. They need to think again."
Read more about Victoria at The Voices and Faces Project »
SAYSO 2008 Album 7
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
contact | privacy policy | webmanager@nycagainstrape.org
Graphic design: Worksight, Programming: Clever Name Here