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Violence Is Contagious a Message from the Founder FISCAL YEAR 2017/18 YEAR IN REVIEW Violence is contagious A Message from the Founder iolence is a health epidemic that acts of violence typically drop 40%–50% continents, in 10 countries, 25 cities and destroys life and tears up commu- under this approach, one successful 60 communities. We have demonstrated Vnities and countries wherever it intervention in San Pedro Sula, Hon- success in each one. But we have only goes. Here at Cure Violence, our axiom duras showed a drop of 88% in violent achieved these remarkable results with that violence should be treated as a incidents. Also, worth noting is that your help. Our funders, supporters, and disease that can be cured continued when interrupters enter a community partners are our lifeblood. We ask you to gain support in 2017. Our message and begin their work, the drop in violent to maintain your support and increase it attracted more followers who now see behavior is immediate. Similarly, when if you can. this societal plague as a fixable, curable our programs have been forced to close public health issue. due to lost funding, violence spikes Most of all, please spread the word upward immediately providing evidence about how there is a public health While the individual victim of any that the model works. solution to violence. Cure Violence is violent act may suffer the most, the working hard every day to bring an end devastation and destruction that one We added several new communities and to violence in your community, and individual act causes spreads exponen- launched several exciting new initiatives throughout the globe. Thank you for tially like cholera or plague. Families in the past year that I invite you to read your belief and support. are torn apart, mothers grieve, brothers about in this annual report. We are and friends seek revenge and retaliation pleased to be recognized by the presti- In Hope, and the disease spreads. And yet until gious NGO Advisor as the 10th ranked recently we kept struggling to find a way NGO in the world among the top 500. Gary Slutkin M.D. to fix it. In total we are now working on four Founder and Executive Director In all too many cases, society still views violence as something to be severely dealt with and punished. It is an oft-held Gary Slutkin, M.D., Founder & Executive Director, Cure Violence belief that being “tough on crime” is the best way to ameliorate the menace. But same behavior change methods more than two decades of experience now employed by Cure Violence. at Cure Violence has proven to us that Dr. Slutkin founded CeaseFire – the just as people learn violence when they precursor to Cure Violence – in are exposed to it, the spread can be Chicago in 1995 where he applied interrupted and the new behaviors also his knowledge and extensive modeled. A child or young adult who experience in infectious diseases witnesses violence and hostility is at to address chronic violence in the high risk of perpetrating those actions Physician and epidemiologist, city. The Cure Violence method of himself. In short, they have contracted A Dr. Gary Slutkin approaches treating violence as a public health the disease of violence. As we know, the worldwide epidemic of violence issue has been scientifically proven violence begets violence. with a background in infectious effective by numerous studies at disease that stretches back to sites throughout the world. But now, success with the Cure Violence 1981 when he ran the Tuberculosis model of interruption, treatment and (TB) program for San Francisco. In Dr. Slutkin is the recipient of social norm change has been proven 1985 he moved to Somalia where numerous national and international repeatedly, and is vigorously supported he worked on TB and cholera awards including the UNICEF in many mainstream institutions. While epidemics until 1987 when he Chicago Humanitarian of the Year was recruited by the World Health award, the Illinois Order of Lincoln Organization. At the WHO, Dr. award and the U.S. Attorney Slutkin worked in over 20 countries General’s Award for Outstanding and led the effort to reverse the Contributions to Community AIDS epidemic in Uganda using the Partnerships for Public Safety. 2 Contagious (kən tā’ jəs): spread from one person or organism to another by direct or indirect contact iolence is a contagious the spread of violence. In short, vio- health problem – it spreads lence can be addressed in the way we in Vfrom one person to another. This public health have treated polio, small- has long been known, for example it is pox, and so many other epidemics. commonly known that there is a cycle of child abuse and that PTSD from war For the past 18 years, Cure Violence violence exposure increases aggression. has demonstrated with convincing It is also true for all other forms of results, that using a carefully crafted violence. model and treating violence as a con- tagious problem that spreads like any Because violence is contagious, the contagion, violence can be interrupted methods that are used for other conta- and communities can be made safer gious problems can be used to prevent and healthier. Table of Contents Cure Violence: Some Key Facts at a Glance ..................................................................4 Cure Violence Today: Hope for Tomorrow .......................................................................5 Shifting the conversation on violence .....................................................................5 Top #10 NGO in World – Because it Works ....................................................................7 World Wide Work ................................................................................................................8 Becoming part of the everyday conversation in the media ..................................8 Middle East and North Africa ....................................................................................8 Latin America ..............................................................................................................10 Education.............................................................................................................................15 Training: Example Honduras ....................................................................................15 Educating the media ..................................................................................................16 Financials ...........................................................................................................................17 Benefactors and Donors...................................................................................................18 Cure Violence Staff ............................................................................................................18 National/International Advisory Board ..........................................................................19 3 Cure Violence: Some Key Facts at a Glance 50+ 67% Reduction Cure Violence in Woundings & program sites Attempted Murders in Port of Spain, in U.S. Trinidad 7 independent evaluations showing effec- tiveness 88% Reduction in Shootings and Killings at Cure 63% Violence sites in Honduras, Central Reduction in America Shootings in New York City 4 Top #10 NGO in world – Because it works he Geneva-based NGO Advisor impact and governance. These criteria is internationally regarded for its determine how well an NGO succeeds Tin-depth evaluation approach. in transforming lives, affecting com- Their 2018 list includes Mercy Corps, munities, answering challenges and OXFAM, and Doctors Without Bor- overcoming obstacles. ders among the NGOs occupying the top 20 slots. NGO Advisor notes that In addition to having secured the #10 the rankings are a means to showcase overall ranking, Cure Violence remains diversity and scale, thereby publicizing a the #1 non-profit organization focused wide spectrum of highly effective NGO on violence prevention. Since its 2009 work. NGO Advisor seeks to compare revamping, NGO Advisor has consis- non-profit organizations using criteria tently included Cure Violence in its top that go beyond geography and specific 20 rankings, noting that Cure Violence NGO operations. Rankings are arrived has been the only NGO exclusively at using what NGO Advisor terms the dealing in the cessation of violence. three pillars of evaluation: innovation, 2018’s #10 ranking can only serve to cast an increasingly favorable light upon the methods advocated and implemented by Cure Violence. Cure Violence continues to be ranked the #1 non-profit organization focused on violence prevention 5 CURE VIOLENCE TODAY: HOPE FOR TOMORROW Washington Post, Guardian, Wall Street Shifting the Journal, as well as appearances in local pub lications such as the Baltimore Sun, conversation on Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe and Jackson Free PressDetect. Magazineand interrupt stories Change the behavior Change violence the transmission of the highest community norms. appeared in Time,of violence. Newsweek, The Econo- potential transmitters. iolence is among the greatest mist and many more. tragedies and threats devastating Vour planet, leaving death, dis- figuration, physical destruction, and The Model individual and communal trauma and fear in its wake. Since its 1995 inception, Cure Violence has worked globally to Detect and interrupt Change the behavior Change refocus the social perspective of violencethe transmission of the highest community norms. as a public health concern, one to be of violence. 1. Detect and interruptpotential the transmitters.
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