Views from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency August 2009 Children Exposed to Violence Linh Vuong Fabiana Silva Susan Marchionna FOCUS Introduction It is estimated that nearly 4 million children are victims of serious assault, and 9 million have witnessed a serious violent act (Yale Child Study Center, 2001). A 1993 study reported that nearly 20% of first and second graders had been a victim of violence and 61% had witnessed violence within their community (Richters & Martinez, 1993). In the same year, a separate study reported that homicide was the leading cause of death among African American youths (National Research Council, 1993). When children are exposed to violence, they suffer not only the immediate trauma of the incident, but this trauma creates a “socially toxic” environment that also tends to negatively affect children’s normal develop- ment and their future well being (Garbarino, 1995). For example, children exposed to domestic violence are more likely than non-exposed children to be abused or neglected, and more likely to later be in an abusive adult relationship, as either aggressor or victim. Youth encounter violence in every arena of their daily life—at home, at school, through the media, or on the streets of their neighborhoods. Despite a growing body of research, there are still large gaps in what we know about these youth. How many children are affected? What types of violence are most harmful? How old are these children? Where do they live? Most importantly, what can we do to help them? This Focus reviews what we know about the effects of violence on children, the types of violence that they are exposed to, and what programs might most effectively mitigate the trauma in both the short and the long term. The goal of this Focus is to discuss and highlight the effects of violence on children who are direct victims and those who witness it in their daily lives. For the purpose of this report, the term “youth” includes children under age 18, unless otherwise noted.