Global perspective Human stories

1 person murdered almost every minute, UN health study on global violence finds

1 person murdered almost every minute, UN health study on global violence finds

media:entermedia_image:03efa33c-a9ab-4638-ab52-74ee7e4f120e
Violence kills more than 1.6 million people each year, while millions more are left injured as a result of aggression and suffer from physical, sexual, reproductive and mental health problems, according to the first-ever United Nations report to examine the link between health and violence.

The World Report on Violence and Health, released today by the UN World Health Organization (WHO), is the first comprehensive study of its kind to address death and disability caused by violent acts. It focuses not only on the scale of the problem, but also covers issues related to the causes of violence and the methods for preventing the problem and reducing its adverse health and social consequences.

In addition to collective violence such as war or conflict, the report examines equally significant yet frequently overlooked issues such as youth violence, child and elderly abuse, intimate partner violence, sexual violence and self-inflicted violence or suicides.

According to the report, violence is among the leading causes of death for people aged 15 to 44 years of age, accounting for 14 per cent of deaths among males and 7 per cent of deaths among females. On an average day, 1,424 people are killed in acts of homicide – almost one person every minute, while roughly one person commits suicide every 40 seconds.

Armed conflict results in the death of about 35 people every hour; in the 20th century, an estimated 191 million people lost their lives directly or indirectly as a result of war, and well over half of them were civilians. Studies have shown that in some countries, health care expenditures due to violence account for up to 5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

“The report challenges us in many respects,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland on the release of the report. “It forces us to reach beyond our notions of what is acceptable and comfortable – to challenge notions that acts of violence are simply matters of family privacy, individual choice, or inevitable facets of life.”

“Violence is a complex problem related to patterns of thought and behaviour that are shaped by a multitude of forces within our families and communities, forces that can also transcend national borders,” she said.

Offering signs of hope, the WHO report points to opportunities for preventing violence before it occurs, including through preschool and social development programmes for children and adolescents, parent training and support initiatives, and measures to reduce firearm injuries and improve gun safety.