Multisectoral approaches to violence prevention: Institute of Medicine's Forum on Global Violence Prevention

The Forum on Global Violence Prevention of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) provides an impartial setting in which experts from all areas of violence prevention can engage in ongoing discussions on how to reduce violence through research on protective and risk factors and prevent it through evidence-based strategies. The Forum's ultimate objectives are to identify best practices and catalyze more effective domestic and international investments in public health approaches to violence prevention. As an ongoing activity of the IOM, the Forum is well-positioned to educate policymakers and create valuable synergies between government agencies and between the public and private sectors. The members are multisectoral, and focus on the cross-cutting issues that underpin all types of violence. The Forum's first activity was a public workshop in Washington, DC on the topic of preventing violence against women and children. The workshop convened speakers from around the world. Presenters shared the measurable successes of their policies and practice to address gender inequality, the cycle of violence, and violence-associated trauma, as well as lessons learned and opportunities for implementation in different contexts. The second workshop, in April, will focus on the costs along the lifespan, as well as to communities, of both violence and the exposure to violence. These costs are both economic and social, and both direct and indirect. As well, they will explore the value in investing in early prevention.