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Violence Prevention
Since 1979, 60,008 children have died from firearms. This number is larger than that of all of the American soldiers killed during the U.S. involvement in Vietnam, the Gulf Wars, Haiti, Somalia and Bosnia.
• In 1999, 4000 children were killed by guns in the United States.
In Guilford County in 1999, 5,255 children were reported to be abused or neglected.
• 1,710 children in the reports were substantiated as being abused or neglected.
• 1,019 of the children in the substantiated reports were between the ages of birth and six years old.
"There is absolutely no doubt that higher levels of viewing violence on television are correlated with increased acceptance of aggressive attitudes and increased aggressive behavior. Children’s exposure to violence in the mass media, particularly at young ages, can have harmful lifelong consequences." reports the American Psychological Association in 1993.
Firearms, domestic violence, abuse, neglect, and media violence produce alarming statistics and reality. However, people are no longer accepting this menu as an inevitable course. Efforts to prevent violence are being made in a variety of ways in Guilford County, as well as throughout the United States.
A few of the groups in Guilford County taking proactive measures to prevent violence:
These groups, along with others, are seeking realistic venues in which to work for change away from the ways of thinking and behaving that have produced violence in Guilford County.
• Guilford County Department of Public Health
• Department of Social Services
• High Point Task Force Against Violence
• Family Service of the Piedmont
• Child Watch
• Committee on Reducing Family Violence
• Guardian Ad Litem
• Guilford Child Advocacy Network UNCG’S Immigrant Health ACCESS Project and Youth Build
Family Service of the Piedmont participates in collaborative efforts to attain zero tolerance for violence in Guilford County. If your organization would like to have someone speak on the topic of violence prevention, please contact Patti Gilbert at 889-6161 or pgilbert@familyservice-piedmont.org 
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