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The Impact of Violence on Youth in South Africa

The problem . Violence and injuries are the second leading cause of death and lost disability-adjusted life years in South Africa.South Africa's injury death rate is nearly twice the global average. The high injury death rate is driven mainly by interpersonal and gender-based violence, followed by

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The Impact of Violence on Youth in South Africa

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    1. The Impact of Violence on Youth in South Africa Hilton Donson, Anesh Sukhai, Kopano Ratele, Ashley van Niekerk, Luanne Swart, Mohamed Seedat MRC-UNISA Safety & Peace Promotion Research Unit NIMSS 2007

    2. The problem Violence and injuries are the second leading cause of death and lost disability-adjusted life years in South Africa. South Africa’s injury death rate is nearly twice the global average. The high injury death rate is driven mainly by interpersonal and gender-based violence, followed by traffic c injuries, self-inflicted injuries, and other unintentional injuries arising from fires, drowning, and falls. Violence is profoundly gendered, with young men (aged 15–29 years) disproportionately engaged in violence both as victims and perpetrators. Half the female victims of homicide are killed by their intimate male partners and the country has an especially high rate of rape of women and girls. The social factors driving the problem include poverty and unemployment, patriarchal notions of masculinity, vulnerabilities of families and exposure to violence in childhood, widespread access to firearms, alcohol and drug misuse, and a weak culture of enforcement and failure to uphold safety as a basic right. The government should identify reduction in violence and injuries as a key goal and to develop and implement a comprehensive,

    3. Violence can be prevented Violence is not inevitable. Like polio and other public health threats, violence can be prevented.

    4. Violence is learned in the home More than 3 million children witness physical and verbal domestic abuse in their homes each year (Horn, 2000; Carlson, 1984; Jaff, 1990). Effects of witnessing domestic violence can include traumatic stress reflected in higher levels of depression and anxiety, attention and learning problems, and greater likelihood of developing aggressive and anti-social behavior (Hawley, 2000).

    5. Violence is learned by being victimized by intimates 826,000 children in the United States were maltreated in 1999 (US DHHS). Experiencing child abuse and neglect increases the likelihood of arrest as a juvenile by 53% and of committing a violent crime by 38% (Widom, 1992).

    6. Violence is learned from peers • One in 7 school children is either a bully or has been the victim of a bully (Brooks, et al, 2000; Batsche G, et al, 1998). • Between 10% and 30% of teens experience violence while dating. This is not surprising in light of a survey of two Chicago high schools, in which 28% of boys responding believed that “girls needed to be punched or slapped sometimes” (American Medical Association Alliance, 1999).

    7. Alcohol & drugs 50% of youth homicide victims have elevated blood alcohol, as do 50% of youth who commit homicide (Adams et al, 1992; Prothrow-Stith et al, 1992; Mann et al, 1998).

    8. Gangs Youth gangs are responsible for a disproportionate share of all criminal offenses, both violent and nonviolent (Snyder et al, 2000).

    9. Factors that “protect” youth Relationship with a responsible adult Positive school experiences Plans and dreams (future orientation) Ability to control impulses (Search Institute, 2000)

    10. National Injury Mortality Surveillance System NIMSS was launched in 1999 to inform on the extent of deaths due to non-natural (n/n) causes Goal is to establish a permanent system that will help Describe the incidence, causes, and consequences of n/n deaths Prioritise injury and violence prevention actions Identify new injury trends and emerging problems Monitor longitudinal changes in the profile of n/n fatalities Evaluate possibilities of direct and indirect violence and injury NIMSS is the most detailed source of information on the who, what, when, where and how of fatal injuries in South Africa

    11. Overview of NIMSS In 2007 - national coverage 21 mortuaries in 6 provinces, with full coverage in SA's four largest metropolitan cities: Cape Town, Durban(Ethekwini), Johannesburg, Pretoria(Tshwane) 33 486 Non-natural (n/n) deaths about 55% of all n/n mortality 60 000 N/N deaths per annum

    12. NIMSS 2007

    13. NIMSS 2007

    14. NIMSS 2007

    15. Apparent manner of death for ages 15-29 (n = 11271) NIMSS 2007

    16. This chart shows a breakdown of violent deaths by age category. The highest number of violent deaths occurred among the 25-29 year age group and were generally high between the ages of 15 and 44 years.This chart shows a breakdown of violent deaths by age category. The highest number of violent deaths occurred among the 25-29 year age group and were generally high between the ages of 15 and 44 years.

    17. Youth violence (0-19) by external cause of death (n= 1195) M:F ratio Firearm 4.0 Sharp force 11.4 Blunt force 4.2 Strangulation 0.4 NIMSS 2007 This chart shows that firearms and sharp force assaults were the leading ext causes of violence. There were 7.6 males who died as a result of firearms for every female death. The M:F ratios for sharp and blunt force assaults were 9.5 and 5.8 respectively. For strangulation deaths, more females than males died by this cause, with 0.5 males for every female death.This chart shows that firearms and sharp force assaults were the leading ext causes of violence. There were 7.6 males who died as a result of firearms for every female death. The M:F ratios for sharp and blunt force assaults were 9.5 and 5.8 respectively. For strangulation deaths, more females than males died by this cause, with 0.5 males for every female death.

    18. External cause of fatal youth violence, (n= 1195) NIMSS 2007

    19. Violence mortality rates: 2001-2007 NIMSS 2007

    20. Fatal youth violence by scene & sex (n= 4596) NIMSS 2007

    21. Leading external causes of fatal violence for youth by Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) (n=2430) NIMSS 2007

    22. City comparisons: Leading external causes of fatal youth violence NIMSS 2007

    23. MRC-UNISA Safety & Peace Promotion Research Unit(SAPPRU)

    24. Ukuphepha Stsudy The Ukuphepha project is a multi country and multi level research study on child injury prevention and safety promotion. It is the first of its kind. This will work towards reducing injury rates among children. It will involve countries, Uganda, South Africa, Mozambique, Australia, Bangladesh and other.   Ukuphepha means "SAFETY" in indigenous South African lingual.  

    25. Ukuphepha Aims

    26.

    29. Acknowledgements Colleagues at MRC –UNISA SAPPRU Staff and pathologists at participating mortuaries and Forensic Medicine departments. National and Provincial Departments of Health State Forensic Chemistry Laboratories South African Police Services Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology NIMSS 2007

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