Children Are Susceptible to Violence
Young people are disproportionately both victims and perpetrators of violent crime. They are victims of emotional, physical, and other forms of abuse by adults. For these reasons, and because working with youth holds the best hope for changing the future, violence prevention programs frequently target youth. Gang prevention, drug abuse prevention, and other crime and juvenile delinquency prevention programs, including early childhood programs such as Head Start, have documented that the earlier children are reached with positive messages, support, and constructive alternatives, the greater the opportunity for positive results.
Violence Prevention
Violence prevention groups have to develop partnerships with the institutions and people who can reach and influence children and youth: parents, schools, religious groups, peer groups, Boys and Girls Clubs, community centers, local outreach centers, and the like. The children's chief caregivers, usually the parents and schools, must be convinced of the soundness of the group's intentions. Any group should demonstrate respect for the parents' rules and expectations, and demonstrate the value of any violence prevention program to the children it's trying to reach. Partnerships based on mutual respect and trust can lead to the most rewarding results.
If you would like the names of some organizations that can provide help with this problem, please email or call the Police Department.