Evidence brief: preventing interpersonal and self-directed violence and injuries in the Caribbean

ABSTRACT

The issue of violence and injuries and its status as a major public health problem has gained significant political traction both internationally and within the Caribbean region during the last two decades. Internationally, the momentum began to build across the Americas in 1993 with PAHO resolution CD37.R19 (Violence and Health)(1), and in 1996 when, at the 49th World Health Assembly, resolution 49.25 first helped to establish the issue of violence and injuries as a recognized global health priority. Specifically it urged member states to 1) assess the problem of violence in their own jurisdictions; and 2) communicate the extent of their problems to the World Health Organization (WHO) with suggestions about solutions.(2) Building on these efforts, in 2002 WHO released the World Report on Violence and Health, which was the first comprehensive review of the problem of violence on a global scale, and helped to further raise the profile of the issue on the agendas of global institutions and several national governments.(3,4) The report also led to the development of the Global Status Report on Violence Prevention, which was published in 2014 with data from 133 countries (including five English-speaking Caribbean countries). (3-5)...