Every April, we observe National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. For our part, the CDC Injury Center’s year-round goal is to stop sexual violence before it begins.

Abuse, neglect, and other traumatic experiences in childhood can shorten lives by 20 years and cost society almost $84 billion in lost productivity.

We call these Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and this infographic tells you the story of the dramatic links between ACEs, risky behavior and psychological issues. Safe, stable and nurturing relationships help prevent ACEs and ensure that children are able to live their lives to their fullest potential.

View the entire, interactive graphic on VetoViolence.org.

Guest Blogger: Sandra Alexander

My mother was a teacher during the time when teachers made regular home visits. Growing up, I remember going with her on some of these visits, wondering about the different kinds of homes, behavior, and environments of some of my school peers.

Some kids in school bullied other kids, others showed up at school with injuries, and some did not show up at all. My mother, in her calm, steady way, would explain to me that families had different kinds of struggles and that kids’ behaviors reflected the kind of environments, relationships, and challenges they have in their life.

Guest Blogger: Helen Singer, MPH

This spring, after several of my close friends and family reached out to share the news that Mike Wallace, the legendary investigative journalist and “60 Minutes” anchor, had died, I sat down and had a good cry. It was as if I had lost a favorite uncle.

I know that it probably sounds strange that I was so personally affected by the passing of a famous newsman whose life was seemingly very different and removed from mine, but the fact is that Mike Wallace played a significant role in my decision to do what I do at CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention (DVP).

Last December, I was having a conversation with a friend about how many people are actually affected by intimate partner violence (IPV).  When I said that 1 out of 4 women had experienced some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime, my friend responded, “But, I don’t know anyone who has been abused.”  My response: “You just don’t think you know anyone. It is hidden so often, and we often don’t think that intimate partner violence affects our friends and families.”    

Deb Karch, PhD

Guest blogger: Deb Karch, PhD

I wrote my first suicide note when I was 13 years old. I hid it and the many more that followed in my stamp collection, books or other secret hideaways, all places I knew my mom would never look.  For the next 15 years, each time I packed up my belongings for another move, I would find another one I had forgotten about. I would read each one with dismay.  I learned the hard way that an overdose only resulted in having to drink a thick black charcoal concoction with one ankle strapped to a bed frame to keep me from taking off.  Running the car in the garage took far too long and two rounds of Russian roulette proved me to be a very lucky woman.