Not long ago, we lost a true pioneer:  Gail Burns-Smith passed away unexpectedly on September 5th, 2009.  To all of us who work to prevent violence, Burns-Smith was a hero, and she is particulary in our hearts as we begin the month of October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, without her.  For more than 25 years, Burns-Smith worked tirelessly to focus attention on violence against women and to bring domestic violence from behind its closed doors into the public consciousness. 

April was Child Abuse Prevention Month, and we joined with our partners to increase awareness of child maltreatment prevention. Of course, at the Injury Center, we focus on child maltreatment every day of every month. We are motivated by a deep belief that child maltreatment is completely preventable.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and people throughout the world participate in Denim Day, a campaign to raise awareness about rape and sexual assault. Wearing denim as a sign of protest, participants strive to end sexual violence.

We’re all disturbed by the tragedy of child maltreatment. We are dismayed when we see headlines informing us of yet another child’s life ended or altered forever because of maltreatment by a trusted caregiver.

Let me introduce you to Carol. She’s a state public health official who notices an increase in reports of suicide. She wants to develop prevention efforts. Where can she find information to help her target strategies for her state?

CDC has just launched an online tool that will help Carol find exactly what she needs.

Each year in the U.S., women experience about 4.8 million intimate partner related physical assaults. Men are the victims of about 2.9 million intimate partner related physical assaults. The numbers have not increased over the past years but they have not decreased either and are still unacceptably high. Why?

Adolescents are using new media technology in increasing numbers. Everyday, teens and pre-teens chat and send text messages on cell phones, take pictures and make videos on their cell phones, check out buddies’ MySpace or Facebook pages, and post blogs on their favorite websites. My own teens rely on these tools to stay connected with their friends and me.

Child maltreatment is a significant public health problem in the United States, and preventing it is one of the priorities of CDC’s Injury Center.

During this year’s National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, center staff worked hard to raise awareness about child maltreatment and highlight the agency’s prevention efforts.