Dr. Farideh Kioumehr-Dadsetan is the Founder and Executive Director of the International Health and Epidemiology Research Center (IHERC), a non-profit organization dedicated to the research and prevention of epidemic diseases. As part of that mission, she established the innovative Anti-Violence Campaign for Peace project in 1994.
Dr. Kioumehr-Dadsetan received her D.V.M. degree from the University of Tehran. She continued her education at the University of Michigan, School of Public Health, in Ann Arbor, Michigan earning her M.P.H. and Dr.P.H. degree in the field of Epidemiology.
She served as a Director of the Health Planning Department, and taught as a professor at a medical school and school of Public Health for many years.
IHERC's board consists of distinguished and knowledgeable professionals including a physician, a pathologist, a psychologist, an educator, an artist, an attorney, and an epidemiologist.
We attribute our success to the hard work of the media and the help of the media.
HISTORY, BACKGROUND, AND PURPOSE
SUMMARY:
The Anti-Violence Campaign for Peace is an ongoing project of the International Health & Epidemiology Research Center. It is a comprehensive violence prevention and intervention project striving to eliminate mortality and morbidity in children and youth by influencing their learned responses at an early age. The campaign educates about the hazards of guns, toy guns, toy weapons, violent video games and violence.
The campaign teaches children, parents, and educators about the hazards of guns, toy weapons, violent video games, and violence. This is accomplished in a variety of ways including presentations, workshops, letter writing campaigns aimed at influencing toy manufacturers and policy makers, petitions, billboards, public service announcements, media coverage, art exhibition such as the Replacing Violence with Art show Anti-Violence Day/Peace Day events. At these events, children turn in their toy guns and weapons, and instead, create a piece of art with the collected weapons.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:
Problem: Violence is a social evil of epidemic proportions; it is becoming the #1 public health problem. Violence, especially gun violence, is killing more children than many diseases combined. Violence is the most important issue facing our children and youth today in the U.S., and the target age group for violence is getting younger every day.
The U.S. ranks lower than many other industrialized nations in terms of infant mortality, the number of uninsured, homicide, and gun violence. Some statistics to support this are cited below.
• The U. S. A. has the highest gun related death rate among children and youth in comparison with 25 industrialized countries; 16 times more than all these 25 countries combined. (Center for Disease Control, Feb. 7, 1997)
• In America, in just two days, more people die by handguns than in one year in Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, Australia and Japan combined. (Center to Prevent Handgun Violence)
• Homicide rates (per 100,000 pop.) in the U.S., for males age 15 to 24 for 1992 are 37.3, the next highest rate is only 4.3 in Italy, followed by Israel 3.7, Ireland 1.8, Germany 1.1, France 0.9, England & Wales 0.6, and Japan 0.5. (CDC Report, Jan. 1995 from WHO & NCHS)
• During the 8 years of the Vietnam War, 58,000 American soldiers were killed. More people die by guns in the U.S. every 2 years.
• Every 20 minutes an American is shot to death.
• In the U.S. between 1984 and 1994, juvenile arrests for gun homicides quadrupled, and murders of children using guns tripled. Gun violence is the leading killer of children under 20 in the United States. In 1993 alone, (the most recent year for which complete data is available), 5,751 children were killed by firearms; 64% of these deaths were homicides, and over 25% of these deaths were suicides. Guns are used in two out of three youth suicide attempts, causing death or permanent disability far more often than other methods. Unintentional shootings killed 526 children in 1993, more than ten children every week. Every hour and a half, another child in this country is killed by gunfire. (Children's Defense Fund Annual Report, 1997)
• California, of all 50 states, has the highest rate of firearm deaths among children. California has the highest number of homicides and suicides killing children, and ranked second in accidental gun deaths. (Children's Defense Fund Statistics Report, 1993).
• Los Angeles is greatly impacted by this alarming epidemic. In 1991, 66% of all youth homicides were gun related. (Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Report, 1992)
• Possession of a weapon is the number one reason for expulsion referrals in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Between 1993 and 1996, 1287 students were expelled for bringing a gun or knife to school. (LAUSD reports, 1994 & 1996).
CONSIDERING THE FACTS THAT:
• Guns are not toys.
• Toy guns kill! Youngsters have been shot for carrying toy guns that looked real. Felonies have been committed by toy guns. Several airport scares have been caused by toy guns. (See Fact sheet about toy guns)
• Violence is a learned behavior.
• Values and behaviors learned during childhood have the most lasting effect throughout life.
• The media’s glamorization of violence, the widespread possession and use of dangerous playthings like toy guns, toy weapons and video games have desensitized children to violence.
In light of these facts, in 1994 Dr. Farideh Kioumehr-Dadsetan founded the International Health & Epidemiology Research Center, a non-profit organization, promoting public health and preventing diseases through research, education, and intervention. She founded the Anti-Violence Event for Peace in 1995, and volunteered her time to address the growing social epidemic affecting children throughout the country: violence and death caused by both real and toy guns. This project was created in response to the staggering growth of violence involving children and guns. This project serves children ages 2 to 14 from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds throughout California. There are plans to expand the program throughout the entire nation, and, hopefully the world. This is not a quick fix, it may take decades, but the sooner we start the better.
PURPOSE:
The ultimate goal of the ANTI-VIOLENCE CAMPAIGN FOR PEACE is to create a healthier, violence-free society and peaceful world for future generations.
Short term:
• Eliminate unnecessary deaths and injuries to young people shot by police or gangs mistaking toy guns for real guns.
• Reduce the number of felonies committed by toy guns.
• Reduce the likelihood that children will confuse their parents’ real guns for toy guns.
• Increase the children's creativity, self-worth, and positively by making art pieces of collected destructive toys--all with an anti-violence/peace messages.
• Reduce medical costs; costs to police departments, schools, and airports for the settlement of cases.
Long Term:
• Sensitizing children and youth to the hazards of real and toy guns, dangerous playthings and violence by influencing their learned response, at an early age, in order to create a new violence-free generation and a violence free world.
POPULATIONS SERVED: Children, youth, their families, educators, professionals, community leaders, policy makers, and the general population, and especially minorities, and those most vulnerable, in undeserved, uninsured, and gang infested areas.
LINKAGE: Private schools, public schools, public school districts, communities, organizations, health departments, churches, children’s museums.
SERVICES PROVIDED AND METHODS: Providing education, raising awareness, and conducting the “Anti-Violence Day" events, Peace Days, presentations, workshops, distribution of educational materials, petitions influencing policy makers, letter writing campaigns, billboards, public service announcements (PSAs), art displays, and the media are methods IHERC uses to:
• Teach children the danger of real and toy guns, dangerous playthings and violence, while increasing awareness among parents, teachers and other school officials.
• Promote an anti-violence message clearly stating, “Guns are not toys!”
• Displaying art made from collected weapons and created by both children and established artists in the "Replacing Violence with Art" exhibition.
• Influencing toy retailers and manufacturers to halt the production and sale of toy guns and weapons.
• Influencing policy makers to support anti-violence legislation.
Outcomes: Through a community-based campaign and a strong collaboration with public and private schools, health departments, government agencies, communities, policy makers, and non-profit organizations, the International Health & Epidemiology Research Center is empowering educators, parents, and children with essential information. The campaign's vital message remains--guns are not toys, and violence is not play. Both real and toy firearms can kill.
Many communities, public and private schools and school districts, professional organizations, churches and children's museums throughout California have successfully implemented this innovative project. It has drawn national and international attention. The Anti-Violence Campaign for peace has directly served over 150,000 children, parents, and professionals. It has indirectly served millions, throughout the world, through media and Internet since its inception in April 1995.
Anti-Violence Day Events/Peace Day: The first Anti-Violence Day/Peace Day events were successfully held on April 2, 1995 in a minority community. In April and May of the same year it was repeated in several private schools. Due to its tremendous success the project was in great demand throughout California. During 1996 the program expanded to meet the needs of those in the Jewish community, in the LAUSD's Jordan/Lock Cluster (including 25 schools), in South Central Los Angeles, in the Nickerson Garden Housing in Watts—a mostly African American, low socioeconomic area, and in Santa Barbara.
In April of 1997 simultaneous events were held for the Iranian community in three locations—two in parks in Irvine, CA and in Chatsworth, CA. A few days later another event was held at the Los Angeles Children’s Museum in cooperation with the Los Angeles County Health Department and LA Children’s Museum. During these events, children turned in their toy gun and weapons, and used them to create a giant collage with a peace message The art pieces created at the Children’s Museum, were kept at the Los Angeles Children’s Museum for two months for the public to view.
Children who did not have a toy gun to turn in were encouraged to write short stories or create art works about the dangers of guns and violence in society. Each child who participated received a certificate and a "Say No to Toy Guns/Weapons" T-shirt as a reward. The children would then be "walking billboards" to help their communities by discouraging the use of violence and the violent objects. The families also learned the immediate danger imposed on their children by real and toy guns.
Schools and communities in Oregon, New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Florida have expressed great interest in implementing this campaign. France, Canada, Brazil, and South Africa have also inquired about its use.
Presentations/Workshops: Prior to the Anti-Violence events/Peace Days, we provided over 35 lectures, workshops, and presentations for parents, educators, community representatives, and scientists. The statistical analysis of questionnaire data support that over 93% of adult participants determined the following:
• The event or workshop was very informative.
• The event or workshop taught new information
• They believe that this project should be presented to everyone
• They will not buy toy guns, toy weapons or violent plaything for children
Replacing Violence with Art: We have successfully involved well-known artists and art students in the program, and they have created many professional works of art with anti-violence and peace messages with toy guns and weapons surrendered at events. We are also trying to encourage schools and other institutions to emphasize the importance of replacing violence with art for their students, especially in their art classes.
Influencing Policy Makers and Educators: We have endorsements and support from the following: American Public Health Association, Million Mom March/Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, National School Safety Center, Los Angeles Unified School District (Board Members, Safety Planning and Multicultural Education Committees), Claremont Graduate School, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Los Angeles County Health Department, Los Angeles Children’s Museum, American Academy of Pediatrics, Iranian Medical Association, Santa Barbara Women Against Gun Violence, Missourian Women Against Gun Violence, President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Senator Diane Feinstein, Senator Barbara Boxer, Senator Hilda Solis, Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn, Irvine Mayor, Los Angeles Councilman Richard Alarcon, Los Angeles Councilman Michael Feuer, David Agren and many more.
Bill Boards: Many billboards with messages of peace and non-violence have been created and displayed in various communities in California especially before Christmas-time. They discourage parents and the public from purchasing toys that teaches or encourages violence, such as toy guns, toy weapons, war figurines, war toys, and violent video games.
Media: Strong media coverage of each event, countless newspaper articles published in the U.S. and around the world, and extensive radio and television interviews with Dr. Kioumehr have successfully augmented the ANTI-VIOLENCE CAMPAIGN'S FOR PEACE message and millions of people around the world have been served by this campaign and the media’s attention to it.
For more information contact iherc at (818) 788-2662, www.iherc.org, iherc@hotmail.com
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