AMERICA/COSTA RICA - Every year violence causes the death of 80 000 children in Latin America

Friday, 26 October 2012

San José (Agenzia Fides) - An "epidemic" at a social level continues to rage in Latin American countries: it is violence against children which every year causes the death of approximately 80 000 children. Preventive measures and more information are urgently needed. Latin America is the most violent region in the world, where 28.7% of homicide victims are aged between 10 and 19, 6 million children are abused seriously, are abandoned and exploited. Around the world one child in three does not live in a decent home, one in five does not have drinking water, and one in seven has no access to basic health services. These findings were observed during the seminar "Childhood violence: the urgent need to eradicate the global phenomenon", carried out in San José, in Costa Rica, which has constituted a great opportunity to reflect on the very high rate of abuse and incidence of violence against children, young people and adolescents. In many Latin American countries, children are "educated" with abuse because parents "know no other way", therefore educational programs are also needed for them. Violence in fact will bring dramatic effects on the mental and emotional health of children, who might also reach the point of committing suicide. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 26/10/2012)


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