YOUTH VIOLENCE

TYPES

The intensity of youth aggression may vary from punching and shoving to actual sexual or physical assault. Below are all examples of youth violence:

• Homicide
• Sexual assault
• Physical assault with or without a weapon
• Kicking
• Hitting or slapping
• Pushing

SYMPTOMS

Look for symptoms of persons who have experienced youth violence and may become young offenders.

• Mental illness and animal cruelty
• Using alcoholic drinks or drugs
• Violence or abuse in the household 
• Becoming an abused or neglected victim
• A pattern of threats
• Offputting or harassing classmates or young kids
• Rejection, failure, disgrace, shame, or embarrassment
• Being reluctant to take responsibility for one’s behavior and blaming others
• A history of aggressive or violent conduct
• History of attempted suicides or threats

Consequences

Youth violence has substantial and long-term consequences for young people’s social, mental, and physical health. It may be detrimental to growth and lead to difficulty dealing with stress, diminished relationships with peers and adults, learning difficulties, and poor judgment.

Moreover, youth violence is associated with poor health and well-being, adversely impacting populations of color. Violence raises the likelihood of mental and behavioral problems. Suicide, school dropout, academic problems, depression, high-risk sexual activity, obesity, drug use, smoking, future violence victimization and perpetration are examples of these.

Prevention

Among the notable preventative programs to stop youth violence are:

• Efforts to alleviate concentrated poverty and improve urban settings and neighborhoods, problem-oriented monitoring, and prohibitive weapon registration are all examples of such initiatives.
• Decreasing accessibility to alcohol
• Rehabilitative techniques for youths who are at greater risk of being engaged in violence.
• Interventions to minimize the harmful usage of drugs.
• Preschool programs focus on teaching social and academic abilities from a young age.
• In academic institutions, whole-school methods to prevent violence are used.
• Life skills and social development programs aimed at assisting adolescents and kids in managing their emotions, resolving conflicts, and developing the required social skills to handle difficulties;