Trudy Simpson, Staff Reporter
NEARLY 4,000 children and young people were treated at accident and emergency facilities in hospitals islandwide for violence-related injuries last year, the Health Ministry has reported.
The Jamaica Injury Surveillance System (JISS) records information on violence related injuries, accident injuries, attempted suicides and motor-vehicle cases in the accident and emergency rooms in nine major hospitals. Preliminary data showed that 3,706 persons under 20 years old were admitted. Nearly 500 were under age 10.
CHILDREN AT RISK
"A lot of it is really affecting our children," said Dr. Elizabeth Ward, director of disease prevention and control at the Health Ministry. She said several girls were raped and boys were physically abused.
That is why the Health Ministry has developed a 16-page booklet to help parents learn and teach children how to avoid violence. The booklet, entitled 'Raising Children To Resist Violence', is aimed at equipping parents and other adults with skills to work with their children, schools and communities, to keep young people out of violence.
"Many children grow up to be violent adults because of what they learned at home," the book said. "Parents play an important role in keeping violence down. Raising your children in homes free of violence is an important way to do this," the booklet said.
HOSPITAL VISITS
Overall, more than 15,000 persons visited hospitals because of violence-related injuries in 2004. Just over 2,400 were admitted to hospital; 550 left without being seen and 78 died in casualty.
Seventy-seven per cent were injured during a fight or argument, five per cent were victims of sexual assault and one per cent of patients were victims of child abuse. Most injuries (40 per cent) were inflicted by a sharp or blunt object; 15 per cent were bullied or beaten (bodily force) and seven per cent received gunshots.
