INJURY/INJURIES

Domestic Violence

• Domestic violence is an act that includes physical assault

(hitting, pushing, shoving, etc.), sexual abuse (unwanted or
forced sexual activity), and verbal abuse. These are behaviors
that are used by one person in a relationship who tries to
control the other.
Domestic violence includes abuse and actions
such as:
• Name-calling or put downs
• Keeping a partner from contacting his/her family or friends
• Withholding money/allowance or denying financial support
• Stopping a partner from getting or keeping a job
• Actual or threatened physical harm
• Sexual assault
• Stalking
• Intimidation
Bullying

• Bullying is an unwanted, aggressive behavior. The

behavior is repeated, or can be repeated, over time.
Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may
have serious, lasting problems.
In order to be considered bullying, the
behavior must be aggressive and include:

• An imbalance of power: Kids who bully use their power—

such as physical strength, access to embarrassing
information, or popularity—to control or harm others.
• Repetition: Bullying behavior happen more than once or have
the potential to happen more than once.
There are different classifications of bullying.
These are:
• Verbal bullying – saying or writing mean and nasty things. It includes:

• Teasing
• Name-calling
• Making inappropriate sexual comments
• Taunting
• Threatening to cause harm
• Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying
• Hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. It includes:

• Telling other children not to be friends with someone

• Spreading rumors about someone
• Embarrassing someone in public
• Physical bullying – hurting a person’s body or destroying
his/her possessions. It includes:

• Hitting/kicking/pinching
• Spitting
• Tripping/pushing
• Taking or breaking someone’s things
• Making mean or rude hand gestures
• Cyberbullying – verbal and social bullying done through use
of technology and electronic means. It includes:

• Using social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

• Using mobile devices (i.e. cellphone)
• Using electronic mails (i.e. e-mails)
Stalking

• Stalking is a pattern of behavior that makes you feel afraid,

nervous, harassed, or in danger. It is when someone
repeatedly contacts you, follows you, sends you things, and
talks to you, even when you don’t want them to. It is very
threatening to the person being stalked, because the behaviors
and actions of the stalker often invade his/her privacy.
Stalking behaviors involve actions such as:
• Knowing your schedule
• Showing up at places you go to
• Sending mail, e-mail, and pictures
• Calling or texting repeatedly
• Contacting you or posting about you on social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc)
• Writing letters
• Damaging your property
• Creating a Web site about you
• Sending gifts
• Stealing things that belong to you
• Any other actions to contact, harass, track, or frighten you
Extortion

• Extortion is the act of using force or threats to force people to

hand over their money or properties, on favors. Extortion can
happen outside or near schools wherein children are
victimized to give up their allowances, in exchange for the
promise that they will not be beaten up.
Gang and Youth Violence

• A gang is defined as a relatively tough, mostly street-based group of

young people who regard themselves and may be seen by others as a
group that engages in a range of criminal activity and violence.
• Young people join gangs and groups for lots of reasons. One of these
is their need to belong, be included or be part of a group they can
identify themselves with. This is oftentimes true for those who do not
feel a sense of belonging or care at home. Another reason is their
desire for adventure, as they believe that joining gangs will give them
the excitement and thrill of their lives. Lastly, they feel protected and
looked out for if they are members of a gang.
Illegal Fraternity-Related Violence

• A fraternity is a group of people with similar backgrounds,

occupations, interests, or tastes. In campuses and universities,
fraternities are represented Greek letters. The youth may think of
several benefits in joining a fraternity. They may see it as a gain in
power and protection, as fraternities have a reputation for being a
powerful group. Others would regard fraternity members, especially
the seniors, as those who will provide the neophytes and
lowerclassmen guidance and assistance. And since most fraternities
are based in colleges and universities, some would join fraternities for
academic support. Most youths would also join fraternities because of
the sense of belongingness that these fraternities would provide.
Kidnapping and Abduction

• Kidnapping is taking away or forcefully moving a person against

his/her will and holding him/her in unjust captivity. The act is usually
done for a motive like getting a monetary reward/ransom or getting
some sort of benefit from the person or their family.

• On the other hand, abduction is the use of deceit or force in order to

take a person or a child away from their home or relatives. In
abduction, the victim usually knows or has some sort of relation with
the abductor. Most of the time, the abductor is not holding the victim
for profit or any monetary gain.
Acts of Terror

• Acts of terror, or terrorism, is the use of violence for

political goals and putting the public or a great number
of people in fear. The purpose of these terrorist groups
is to produce terror in their victims through the use of
violence, fear and pressure.
Prevention and management of
intentional injuries

Self-protection, Preventing self-harm, Promoting a culture of

non-violence through healthful behaviors, Reporting cases of
violence to proper authorities.
Risk Factors for Intentional Injuries and
Violence
• Risk factors are characteristics linked with youth
violence, but they are not direct causes of youth
violence. A combination of individual, relationship,
community, and societal factors contribute to the
risk of youth violence. Research on youth
violence has increased our understanding of
factors that make some populations more
vulnerable to victimization and perpetration.
• Many risk factors for youth violence are linked to
experiencing toxic stress, or stress that is prolonged
and repeated. Toxic stress can negatively change the
brain development of children and youth. Toxic stress
can result from issues like living in impoverished
neighborhoods, experiencing food insecurity,
experiencing racism, limited access to support and
medical services, and living in homes with violence,
mental health problems, substance abuse, and other
instability.
Individual Risk Factors
● History of violent victimization
● Attention deficits, hyperactivity, or learning disorders.
● History of early aggressive behavior
● Involvement with drugs, alcohol, or tobacco
● Low IQ
● Poor behavioral control
● Deficits in social cognitive or information-processing abilities
● High emotional distress
● History of treatment for emotional problems
● Antisocial beliefs and attitudes
● Exposure to violence and conflict in the family
Family Risk Factors

● Authoritarian child rearing attitudes

● Harsh, lax, or inconsistent disciplinary practices
● Low parental involvement
● Low emotional attachment to parents or caregivers
● Low parental education and income
● Parental substance abuse or criminality
● Poor family functioning
• Poor monitoring and supervision of children
Peer and Social Risk Factors

● Association with delinquent peers

● Involvement in gangs
● Social rejection by peers
● Lack of involvement in conventional activities
● Poor academic performance
● Low commitment to school and school failure
Community Risk Factors

● Diminished economic opportunities.

● High concentrations of poor residents
● High level of transiency
● High level of family disruption
● Low levels of community participation
● Socially disorganized neighborhoods
Protective Factors for Intentional Injuries and
Violence
• Protective factors may lessen the likelihood of youth
violence victimization or perpetration. Identifying and
understanding protective factors are equally as
important as researching risk factors.
Individual Protective Factors

● Intolerant attitude toward deviance

● High IQ
● High grade point average (as an indicator of high academic
achievement)
● High educational aspirations
● Positive social orientation
● Popularity acknowledged by peers.
● Highly developed social skills/competencies
● Highly developed skills for realistic planning
● Religious beliefs
Family Protective Factors

● Connectedness to family or adults outside the family

● Ability to discuss problems with parents.
● Perceived parental expectations about school performance are high.
● Frequent shared activities with parents
● Consistent presence of parent during at least one of the following: when
awakening, when arriving home from school, at evening mealtime, or
when going to bed
● Involvement in social activities
● Parental/family use of constructive strategies for coping with problems
(provision of models of constructive coping)
Peer and Social Protective Factors

● Possession of affective relationships with those at school that are strong, close,
and pro-socially oriented.
● Commitment to school (an investment in school and in doing well at school)
● Close relationships with non-deviant peers
● Membership in peer groups that do not condone antisocial behavior.
● Involvement in prosocial activities
● Exposure to school climates with the following characteristics:
o Intensive supervision
o Clear behavior rules
o Firm disciplinary methods
o Engagement of parents and teachers
How to Prevent Intentional Crimes?
● Always walk-in areas where there are many people. If you feel that you are being followed,
move towards a 7-11 or any establishment with CCTV cameras. Or better yet, walk towards
a police station.
● If someone puts a knife or gun towards you do not resist or fight and give them what they
ask (money, etc).
● It is better for location services to be on using your phone, so that in cases of accidents,
you can be located. If you are concerned about privacy, then the opposite applies.
● Carry something you can use as a protection, like an umbrella or pepper spray. But again,
following above if there is a gun or knife, do not fight nor resist.
● Always stay alert when outside and take note of people's faces as this can be useful later
when investigators ask you to describe the criminals.
● Be careful of what you post online. Stalkers typically use information from your social
media. Likewise, be careful of how and when you access your account as WiFi hotspots
could easily be hacked.