NEW YORK -- From Argentina in the south to Canada in the north, violence is becoming an increasingly serious problem in the Americas, affecting all nations in the hemisphere. What makes this phenomenon especially worrisome is that children and adolescents are among its main actors, and victims. Violence affects children and adolescents from all social strata. Those from poorer or more disadvantaged backgrounds, however, are the ones who suffer the most. Although violence has always been a serious problem in the Americas, the economic and sociopolitical changes of recent years have caused it to increase. The cost in human lives and disabilities is staggering.

The causes of violence vary in different countries of the Americas. Its origins can be traced to internal wars, political conflicts, social problems, economic crises and poverty. In some countries, these factors can be linked to the consolidation of a power structure with strong connections to drug production and marketing. This last factor has led to a weakening of the judicial system, to the transformation of values and to a significant increase in corruption at all levels of society.

In the United States, although some of these causes are also at work, the easy availability of guns is perhaps the most significant etiologic factor. A 1990 survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control showed that approximately 650,000 high school students carried a gun during the month of the survey. It is estimated that over 600,000 people are victimized by handguns every year in the U.S.