What is Violence?
Violence is the international use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or a group. Violence is high likely to result in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation.
Costs of ignoring the problem
Benefits driving positive change
Cost of violence is estimated at $14 trillion/year
Mentally healthier individuals and families
Increased incidences of depression, anxiety, and suicide
Positive working and learning environments
Increased risk of cardiovascular disease
Increased well-being of families
Over 1.6 million people worldwide lose their lives to violence
More people living in a peaceful society
Sofie Whitney
Activist & Co-Founder
Sofie Whitney, 18, co-founder of March For Our Lives. A survivor of the Parkland shooting, Whitney is an activist, leading the national conversation and fight to end gun violence. She and other young people used media and political attention to gain awareness, set up meetings in state and national capitals, and planned a nationwide march in less than one month from the Parkland shooting.
Case Study
Austrian NGOs active in supporting victims of domestic violence decided to take their message to the masses by means of a travelling exhibition. They created a stand resembling the interior of a flat, used that to tell the story of abuse in the home. The exhibition has won several prizes, and has toured 29 locations all over Austria. It has so far been seen by 15,000 people, many of them visiting in school groups.
Ideas youngsters can implement
Create graffiti educating people to avoid violence
Building an awareness campaign by showing victims of violence and their consequences to sensitise youth
Volunteering as a group to help NGOs support victims of violence