Sistema de vigilancia epidemiológica de la violencia para los municipios colombianos

the different systems of epidemiological surveillance of injuries and violence proposed by colombian and international institutions are analyzed. the fact that those systems do not provide enough information on non fatal injuries, characteristics of the aggressors nor protection factors of the different forms of violence is emphasized. a system based on information which should be gathered at a small scale according to legal rules is proposed. this information should also be underreported (violent deaths, suicide, deaths due to traffic accidents, and non fatal injuries). the implementation of periodic and systematic community surveys is also suggested, designed in different formats according to the local circumstances of the municipalities. the magnitude and distribution of the different forms of violence and other risky behaviors generally linked to such violence, as well as the protection and risk factors are all monitored through the surveys mentioned above. the system proposed here does not replace the surveillance systems legally adopted by colombian norms, but it does reinforce and complement them.