Teen violence and abuse has been around for thousands of years and became a global public health problem. It involves number of acts, ranging from intimidation and physical confrontation to more serious sexual and physical abuse to murder. Some 200,000 homicides occur each year among young people aged 10-29 years worldwide, which is 42 percent of the total number of homicides worldwide each year. In individuals aged 10-29 years, homicide is the fourth leading cause of death, and 84 percent of these homicides include male victims. Teen violence and abuse has a serious, sometimes permanent effect on the physical, psychological, and social functioning of an individual when it is not fatal.
Teen violence refers to harmful behaviors that can start early and continue into young adulthood. The young person can be a victim, an offender, or a witness to the violence. Violent acts can include bullying, fighting, including punching, kicking, slapping, or hitting, use of weapons such as guns or knives. Some violent acts can cause more emotional harm than physical harm. Others can lead to serious injury or even death.
On the other hand, abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, or a combination of any or all of these. Abuse can also be neglect, which is when parents or guardians don't take care of the basic needs of the children who depend on them. Physical abuse is often the most easily recognized form of abuse, such as any kind of hitting, shaking, burning, pinching, biting, choking, throwing, beating, and other actions that cause physical injury, leave marks, or cause pain.
Be one with us now! Let's use our voices to reach out and spread awareness with the aspiration to lessen the victims and cases of teen violence and abuse not only in the Philippines but globally.
