UNICEF

Strategies to guarantee quality learning, protective environments

and peaceful coexistence for adolescents in urban areas

Brazil, August/2007

Violence Prevention Strategies: Guarantees torights and life-skill development for adolescents

Nancy Cardia, Vice-Coordinator Centre for the Study of Violence,University of São Paulo

Diagnosis:

What violence?What risks?

Interventions:

What successful prevention initiatives ?

VictimizationEver in your life...

45,7%

37,0%

34,1%

35,8%

25,4%

4,6%

24,5%

16,7%

24,4%

22,7%

22,2%

4,1%

0,0% 5,0% 10,0% 15,0% 20,0% 25,0% 30,0% 35,0% 40,0% 45,0% 50,0%

Someone offered you drugs

Someone asked where to buy drugs

You or close relative life threatened

Close relative wounded by knife

Close relative murdered

Close relative kidnapped

– > 20 years

– < 20 years

VictimizationEver in your life...

15,6%

5,8%

0,6%

29,5%

61,8%

6,9%

24,3%

26,3%

7,3%

1,6%

19,6%

45,8%

6,1%

10,1%

0,0% 10,0% 20,0% 30,0% 40,0% 50,0% 60,0% 70,0%

Victim of armed robbery (guns)

Victim of armed robbery (knife)

Was wounded by firearm

Victim of physical assault

Suffered verbal aggression

Extortion by police or authority

Physically assaulted or ill treated by police

– < 20 years

– > 20 years

• i.e, successful transition to adulthood

avoid problems, school failure, use of substances and delinquency

How?

Through their emotional, cognitive and behavioral development

Positive youth development

Changes in prevention

• A new perception: skills, abilities, capacity, for recovery and for change

• New approach to prevention: evaluation + contributions from developmental studies,

• From focus on a single behavior or context (family, school, community, peer group): to

multiple behaviors and contexts.

• Universal rather than targeted to a group

Changes (cont)Language changes: • Search for opportunities for growth.

Key elements seek to promote:• attachment (bonding) • youth and families, schools, community, peer

group, culture• resilience,• social, emotional, cognitive, moral and behavioral

competence• self esteem and self reliance • trust in the future.

Probability of being alive by 25

49,3%51,7%

60,7%

26,2%

23,6%

29,2%

9,7%11,5%

15,0%

0,0%

10,0%

20,0%

30,0%

40,0%

50,0%

60,0%

70,0%

2001 2003 2006

Very high/high

average

Low/very low

The role of agents of socialization is highlighted

Families

Schools

Communities

Work

Religion

When to start prevention?

As early as possible

Attachment = trust: Home Visitation

Social skills - life skills: pre-schools + families

Families key to protection and for risks

Affection/Warmth

Support

Positive disciplining

Monitoring and supervision

Role models

Obstacles

I- Amount and quality of time spent together

Parents working more and longer hours240 hs more per year than in 1989In the last 30 years 13% less time with children 10 to 12 hs less per week

II- Costs of programs involving families

More complex

Lasting longer

Obstacles

Successful programs involving families

• Nurse Home Visitation/ Healthy Families• Parent Training Program - The Incredible Years

Parenting Program• Functional Family Therapy and MST -Multisystemic

Therapy• Triple P: Media (TV series + radio and newspaper)• Health services, Schools, Work place, Other

institutions in the community• GREAT families

Successful programs• Lengthy• Adapted to cultural needs• Adapted to the risks and protections

developmental stage• Change family

dynamics/organization/patterns of communication/monitoring and supervision

• Start early on• Identify the obstacles to the active

aprticipation of families and remove them.

Successful programs

• Are interactive,

• Delivered in a welcoming (non-threatening) environment,

• Delivered by highly trained professionals.

Successful community programs

• Supervised games in playgrounds and in pre-schools

• CTC – Communities That Care

• Mentoring - a Big Brother/Big Sister

• Voluntary group work in the community

Promoted by schools: Crèches, Old people’s homes, Local health facility

Successful community programs

Leisure and sports

• Reduce anti-social behavior

• Promote social skills

Successful community programs

Challenges:

• in violent communities children and youth are not encoraged to use in public spaces.

• Poorest children do not take part

• Avoid competition-aggression promote adventure

• To improve: cooperation, trust, problem solving skills.

Successful School programsTeach how

• to interact

• to contribute to /cooperate with their community, families and peers

• i.e social skills.

Successful School programs

Change school climate

• Competition for resources

• Teacher’s stress

• General incivility

Examples

• Resolving Conflict Creatively Program

• Life Skills Training Program

• GREAT Schools: Teachers and Students

GREAT

• Diagnosis of the school • Climate in school – Pattern of Interactions• Physical characteristics• lighting• cleanness• graffitti• broken windows• bars• shops selling arms

Successful programs • Change behavior

• Are theory based combining risks and protection factors

• Evidence based

• Involve multiple partners

• Last longer

• Tailored to the developmental and cultural needs of the child

• Promote development through social and emotional skills and ethical values adapted to their daily lives

• Involve families communities and schools- public policies and institutional practices.

• Recruit and maintain skilled staff

Successful programs• Tailored to the developmental and cultural

needs of the child.

• Promote development through social and emotional skills and ethical values adapted to their daily lives.

• Involve families communities and schools- public policies and institutional practices.

• Recruit and maintain skilled staff.