Children, violence, and intentional injuries

The statistics of violence against children have generated a growing concern about the need to address the problem more aggressively. Homicide, suicide, and child maltreatment are leading causes of mortality in the child and adolescent population; the need to develop strategies to reduce such injuries, therefore, is obvious and urgent. Nurses and other health care professionals are in an ideal position to address this need. They can do so by providing guidance to the general public about how to manage this childhood dilemma. The control of childhood violence must become a national priority; only then will it no longer be a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in children.