Safety and Peace Promotion Research Unit
Crime, Violence and Injury Prevention Review
First Review
Crime, Violence and Injury Prevention in South Africa is a biennial publication similar in format to other reviews in the social and health sector. The Review seeks to provide a comprehensive, regular analysis of the crime, violence and injury sector that includes an analysis of the key developments and advancements, as well as the major emerging priorities in the sector.
The Review is an indication of a growing recognition of injury as a public health concern and as such is intended as a resource for local government, non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations, researchers, practitioners and other stakeholders dedicated to strategically translating empirically produced data into concrete injury prevention policies and practices, and strengthening existing safety promotion responses.
Accordingly, the First Review is intended to inform the social and scientific responses to the containment and prevention of injuries, and calls for greater coordination and thoughtful approaches to planning, implementation and evaluation.
Second Review
In the second edition of Crime, Violence and Injury Prevention in South Africa, we build on the formative work of the last decade and drawing inspiration from the 8th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, which was hosted for the first time on the African continent in Durban in April 2006, we embraced the theme of 'Data to Action'.
The aim was to expand existing knowledge to assist the sector in further developing strategies in three major areas: childhood injury; crime and violence; and traffic injuries.
The chapters contained in the second review challenge preventionists to capitalise on the emergent responsive political climate and growing appreciation for the nascent research driven efforts to develop good practices with limited financial and skilled human resources.
The second review also highlights the need for strengthening existing national programmatic plans, intersectoral and multidisciplinary collaboration, technical co-operation and governmental-civil society partnerships, all of which remain key for the long-term development of the injury and violence prevention sector in Africa.
Third Review
Child injury is a critical social and public health issue in South Africa. The extent of child injury increases significantly after the age of five years, with injury thereafter one of the leading contributors to the child burden of ill health. The consequent deaths, disability and suffering is predominantly the result of the widespread injuries due to transport crashes, violence, suicide, fire and scalding burns, falls, drowning and poisoning. Crime, Violence and Injury in South Africa: 21st Century Solution for Child Safety contributes to the knowledge platform required for the consolidation of South Africa’s research and prevention efforts directed at child safety. The 21st Century Solutions for Child Safety has the following overall objectives, to:
- Describe the extent and consequences of priority child injury problems.
- Identify significant downstream and upstream risk and, where available, protective factors.
- Highlight the proven and promising injury prevention contributions that may result from environmental, social and technological strategies and interventions.
- Propose prevention priorities, and consequent research and policy imperatives. This book comprises 16 chapters which provide an in-depth reflection on the current successes and challenges faced by the South African child injury and violence research and prevention sector.
21st Century Solutions for Child Safety presents an opportunity for all child safety advocates, from local government, community-based organisations, researchers, practitioners and students from psychology, education, health and social work, to consider innovative ways to translate empirically produced South African and international information on what works into concrete injury prevention policies and practices. 21st Century Solutions for Child Safety is published by the Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA). |
