Brazil: Homicides of children and teenagers double in 20 years – UNICEF report
25-year anniversary of the Child and Adolescent Statute presents improvements and challenges
The number of children and teenagers murdered in Brazil has more than doubled in 20 years, according to a new UNICEF report marking 25 years since the introduction of the Child and Adolescent Statute.
In 2013, 10,500 homicides of adolescents were registered in Brazil, compared to 5,000 cases in 1993 - an increase of over 110 per cent. In 2013, an average of 28 children and adolescents were killed every day, making Brazil the country with the second largest number of homicides of boys and girls under the age of 19 in the world.
The report, #ECA25years – Improvements and Challenges for Childhood and Adolescence, also found that:
◾Indigenous children are twice as likely as other children to die before reaching the age of one, and they are among the most vulnerable in areas such as education.
◾More than 3 million children and adolescents remain out of school, mostly from poor, Afro-Brazilians, indigenous and quilombolas communities.
◾Maternal mortality remains high, with 61.5 mothers dying per every 100,000 births, from complications related to pregnancy and child birth.
However, the report also highlights that the country has made significant progress since the introduction of the 1990 law, implementing policies and programmes that have ensured the survival and development of millions of Brazilian boys and girls.
For example, Brazil has enabled access to basic education for 93% of its children and adolescents from 4 to 17 years of age. From 1990 to 2013, the percentage of children and adolescents who are out of school decreased from nearly 20 per cent to 7%.
The illiteracy rate among 10 to 18 year-old Brazilians also fell by 88.8 per cent, from 12.5 per cent in 1990 to 1.4 per cent in 2013. The drop was even more significant among Afro-Brazilian adolescents (approximately 91%).
Source: United Nations Children's Fund
- 325 reads
Human Rights
Ringing FOWPAL’s Peace Bell for the World:Nobel Peace Prize Laureates’ Visions and Actions
Protecting the World’s Cultural Diversity for a Sustainable Future
The Peace Bell Resonates at the 27th Eurasian Economic Summit
Declaration of World Day of the Power of Hope Endorsed by People in 158 Nations
Puppet Show I International Friendship Day 2020