Make sure sticks and swords are not too long or sharp. Put reflective tape on costumes. Let young children mark up pumpkins with magic markers instead of carving. These are some of the suggestions for a safe Halloween from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Want to stop bullying? We've gathered some resources to get you started.

In 1999, drawing inspiration from a Boston model, Philadelphia launched the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership, a multidisciplinary effort to identify those youth in particular high-crime neighborhoods "most likely to kill or be killed." Through increased monitoring and support, the program targets
violent behavior and life-styles while directing youth toward pro-social activities and supports. The effort appears to be working to stem homicides and keep youth and young adults alive in targeted communities, according to
Public/Private Ventures.

Unlike toys, food and medicine, domestically manufactured guns are exempt from federal safety regulation. Voices for America's Children offers fact sheets on how consumer produce regulation could reduce gun injuries.

The New Mexico resort town of Taos isn't known for its elevated rates of child poverty and teen homelessness. But those harsh realities have spurred a team of seven local women to create a special place where at least some homeless teens can get the help they need to become successful young adults. Denise M. Spranger reports.

A lack of caring adult intervention contributes to school cultures that tolerate violence, bullying and guns. That's the view of journalist Caitlin Kelly, five years after the deadly Columbine High School shootings in Colorado. Kelly looked into youth attitudes towards school violence as part of the research for her new book, Blown Away.

With an estimated one in five female high school students reporting physical or sexual abuse by a dating partner, the need to offer teens the tools they need to stay safe and build healthy relationships is urgent. Joan E. Lisante reports on some promising approaches to a devastating problem.

Wakanheza is a word for child in the Dakota language. Literally, it means "sacred being." It's also the name of a public awareness and training program in Minnesota that aims to reduce child abuse by building support for parents struggling with kids behaving badly in public. Andrea Grazzini Walstrom reports.

Youth who engage in delinquent behaviors early are more likely to become serious, chronic and violent offenders in adolescence -- but interventions are more likely to succeed with younger youth, according to this Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention report, Child Delinquency: Early Intervention and Prevention.

According to the April issue of Journal of the American Medical Association, U.S. researchers find that while it's common, bullying is not normal -- and is associated with other forms of violent behaviors, including weapon carrying, frequent fighting, and fighting-related injury.