Agenzia Fides

Sao Paulo (Agenzia Fides) – In Brazil the last 30 years are considered as the most violent. According to the recent study "Map of Violence 2012, Children and Adolescents in Brazil", in 2010 at least 24 children and teenagers were murdered a day, for a total of 8,686 deaths. This is a tragic increase of 346% between 1980 and 2010. Within the 92 countries taken into consideration, Brazil is the fourth for violence against children and adolescents from 0 to 19 years of age after El Salvador, Venezuela and Trinidad y Tobago, countries with a worse economy compared to that of Brazil, considered the sixth in the world. Out of these countries, Brazil is the only one to have a Child and Adolescent Statute, signed 20 years ago, and carries out social programs that affect the poorest people, where the highest rates of violence is registered. Between 1980 and 2010, 3.1 per 100,000 children and adolescents were killed; in 2010, 13.8 cases per 100,000 were recorded. According to the 2010 census, 62.9 million of the total of 190.6 million Brazilians are minors, 33% of the total population of the country. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 20/7/2012)