The Real Picture -- Child Victims of Violence

• In 2020, in the United States -- 1 in 7 murder victims were under age 18.

• Thirty-two percent of all forcible rapes are pxerpetrated when the victim is between 11 and 17 years of age.  Another 29% of all forcible rapes occur when the victim is younger than 11 years old.

• One in eight students has feared being attacked going to or from school.  In urban cities, 1 in 5 students has feared such an attack.

• "The murder Im in for....the guy I shot started to threaten me.  He put the gun to my jaw and said that he would shoot me if i messed around with another guy."  (female, age 16)

 Children and youth are ten times more likely to be victims of violence than to be arrested for violence.

In communities where parents are unemployed or underemployed, where substance abuse is a part of the territory, and where teenage mothers exist in high numbers, poor parenting skills become another factor that predisposeschildren to violence.

Addressing youth violence with a multi-dimensional, school-based community model will help lead to safe schools and safe streets in the community.

Injuries resulting from violence have become one of the most important public health issues in the United States today, making the problem beyond the reach of the criminal justice system alone.