Violence and Violence Prevention

On December 3, 2009, twenty-six Asian students at South Philadelphia High School were assaulted both inside and outside the school by a large group consisting mostly of African Americans, Philly.com reports.

A recent Boston Globe article by Bella English reports that bullying, at least among girls, starts at an earlier age than one might think. Based on relatively new research on cruelty among girls, “it is clear that the use of friendship as a weapon begins as early as preschool.” Whether bullying among younger girls is new remains unclear; “ ‘I think what’s different is how uninhibited it [bullying] has become.

Congress voted on October 22 to extend federal protection to people who are physically attacked because of their “gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability” by passing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

During her seven-nation African tour, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with women and men in a crowded refugee camp in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.  One of Clinton’s priorities during her visit was to raise awareness of violence against women—a rampant problem in DR Congo where, according to the United Nations, approximately 3,500 women have been raped this year alone, along with a growing number of men and children.