Violence by numbers - the facts of violence
- Only a small minority of youth commit violent crimes
- Young people most often victimize other young people and acquaintances, not adults or strangers
- The most common victims of youth violence are the young person's peers, including girlfriends, boyfriends and other young people
- Between 2004 and 2008, 32% of homicides in the region of Peel were shootings and 33.3% were stabbings
- Experiencing violence early in life can set a pattern of violence that extends throughout an individual's life
- Young women who experience abuse during childhood or adolescence may direct the pain inward, resulting in various forms of self-destructive behaviour
- Young men who experience abuse during childhood or adolescence may direct the pain outward, being violent towards others
- From January to September 2008, Peel region ranked 5th in homicides among Canadian cities, behind Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg
- Of the homicides in the region of Peel from January to September 2008, eight were related to altercations, eight to Gangs/Drugs, two were strangers, one was revenge and one was traditional organized crime
- About 24% of high school students in the U.S. knew of gangs in their schools in 2005
- Young people who bully are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol and get into fights
- Approximately 22% of 11 and 12-year-olds know at least one person their age in a gang
- Most school-associated violent deaths occur during transition times – before and after the school day and during lunch
* S o u r c e s
- Making Cities Safer
- Peel Regional Police Homicide Information Session - Oct. 16, 2008
- www.connect2endviolence.ca
- Public Health Agency of Canada
- American Psychological Association's Practice Directorate
- www.dosomething.org
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Constitutional Rights Foundation
- National Center for Education Statistics
