Violence in all its forms has an enormous impact on the health of populations in the Region of the Americas. The Region of the Americas has the highest child homicide rate in the world. In addition to these deaths, millions of children sustain violence-related injuries that require emergency medical treatment, and countless others develop short- and long-term health problems or adopt high-risk behaviors, such as smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, and unsafe sex as a result of their exposure to violence.
Violence against children can be prevented, and its health, social and economic consequences can be mitigated. INSPIRE: Seven strategies for ending violence against children identifies seven strategies that have shown success in reducing violence against children. They include: Implementation and enforcement of laws; Norms and values; Safe environments; Parent and caregiver support; Income and economic strengthening; Response and support services; and Education and life skills. In 2020, PAHO launched the first ever Regional Status Report on Preventing and Responding to Violence against Children in the Americas, presenting a snapshot of progress made by countries in line with INSPIRE.
The scorecard below provides an overview of country-reported data from the report about the existence of mechanisms for multi-stakeholder or multisectoral coordination on violence against children, national action plans to guide the prevention of violence against children, and prevention and response approaches in line with INSPIRE.