World report on child injury prevention

Overview

Child injuries are a growing global public health problem. They are a significant area of concern from the age of one year, and progressively contribute more to overall rates of death until children reach adulthood. Hundreds of thousands of children die each year from injuries or violence, and millions of others suffer the consequences of non-fatal injuries. For each area of child injury there are proven ways to reduce both the likelihood and severity of injury – yet awareness of the problem and its preventability, as well as political commitment to act to prevent child injury, remain unacceptably low.

The overall aims of the report are: – to raise awareness about the magnitude, risk factors and impacts of child injuries globally; – to draw attention to the preventability of child injuries and present what is known about the effectiveness of intervention strategies; – to make recommendations that can be implemented by all countries to reduce child injuries effectively.