Brussels, 07/10/2002 (Agence Europe) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) launched, on 4 October in Brussels, its new "World Report on Violence and Health" in the presence of Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, Social Affairs Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou and the Director General of WHO, Gro Harlem Brundtland. The report states among other things that 1.6 million people lost their lives in 2000 due to violence, half through suicide and one third through homicide, while 1/5th are war victims. Furthermore, victims of violence suffer serious trauma, which entails high cost in care, absenteeism from work and a strong fall in productivity. Given the many forms of violence, the WHO insists on the need to adopt multi-sectoral approaches and above all recommends that governments take the following measures: - national action plan for prevention of violence; - data collection on violence; - research into the causes, consequences and cost of violence; - prevention of violence in social policies and promotion of gender equality and social equality; - and follow-up to the application of international treaties.