Preventing violence in developing countries: a framework for action

Violence is an enormous global public health problem that increases the risk of injury, disease and poor mental health while also impeding economic and social development. This paper articulates a framework for violence prevention in developing countries that is grounded in the knowledge gained from research and programmatic efforts in rich and in poor countries over several decades. This framework can be used by countries and funding agencies as a guide to building strong foundations for ongoing violence prevention efforts and for identifying violence prevention strategies most likely to be effective. The world has learned a lot about preventing violence and, without a doubt, there is a great deal more to learn. As a global community, however, it is not possible to wait for perfect solutions to these problems to act. The obligation is to act now to use the valuable knowledge that has been gained about violence prevention to improve the world.