AMERICA/EL SALVADOR - Child abuse by parents or their guardians continue

San Salvador (Agenzia Fides) - From January to the month of August 2013 a total of 1794 children were assisted by the Salvadoran Institute for the Integral Development of Children and Adolescents (ISNA). According to ISNA all the rights of these young victims were violated in the State of El Salvador.
Abandonment, sexual abuse, neglect or disinterest are the most common situations among children and adolescents in the Country. More specifically, between January and September, a total of 375 children, 174 females and 201 males, were abandoned by their parents or guardians. In addition, some were left alone in their homes in poor conditions and without food. 233 were sexually abused. Begging, ill-treatment, sexual and economic exploitation are other violated rights of Salvadoran children and adolescents. According to recent data from the United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF), 2 million and 300 thousand children live in El Salvador. The rate of social violence in the Country is 43.3 murders per 100 thousand inhabitants and involves a large number of children who are often forced to leave school . (AP) (Agenzia Fides 09/01/2014)