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67 youth killed daily in the region - UNICEF says Latin America and the Caribbean have highest rate of child homicides

Published:Tuesday | November 27, 2018 | 12:00 AMNadine Wilson/Senior Staff Reporter
Henrieta Fore
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SANTIAGO, CHILE:

Youth in Latin America and the Caribbean are five times more likely to be murdered than those in other parts of the world. In fact, at least 67 youth between the ages of 10 and 19 years old are the victims of homicide daily in the region.

This is according to UNICEF's 2018 overview of children in Latin America and the Caribbean, which also reveals that two out of three children under 15 years old experience violent discipline at home, and one out of two children under 15 years old is subjected to corporal punishment at home.

UNICEF's Executive Director Henrieta Fore noted that homicide is the leading cause of death among youth aged 10 to 19 in Latin America and the Caribbean.

"The five countries with the highest homicide rates among adolescents are all located here in this region - Venezuela, Honduras, Colombia, El Salvador and Brazil," she said.

Fore was speaking at the first regional forum of journalists for the rights of the child, which was held yesterday at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile.

Violence in school is also very common in the region, as three out of every 10 adolescent students are regularly bullied. Gender-based violence also remains an area of concern, as four out of 10 girls aged 15 to 19 years have experienced partner violence in their lifetime, and more than one million adolescent girls in that age group have also experienced forced sexual violence or forced sexual acts.

Fore said, despite the challenges, there have been many accomplishments and achievements over the last 30 years.

"Challenges can turn into opportunities," she said.

UNICEF will be hosting its first regional dialogue in Latin America and the Caribbean dubbed 'On the Road to Equality: 30 years of the Convention on the Rights of the Children' today and tomorrow at ECLAC.

nadine.wilson@gleanerjm.com