 |
|
|
 Health & Beauty | April 2007 
UN Urges Reduction of Child Violence
 El Universal
| | For the past 30 years, on average nationwide, two children aged 14 or younger die every day from domestic abuse or crime. |
It is "imperative" that the government eliminate violence against children, and prohibit "authoritarian discipline" in homes and schools, the United Nations told federal officials Thursday.
In response, the Health Secretariat admitted that Mexican children suffer from "extreme violence," and announced it will develop a National Plan to Prevent Violence Against Boys, Girls and Adolescents, inviting all sectors of society to participate.
These statements came a day after members of the Health Secretariat gave local U.N. representatives copies of the National Report on Violence and Health, a study funded by the U.N.
The report showed a high rate of violent death among children and an increase in the suicide rate among minors, which rose from 118 in 2000 to 166 in 2002.
UNICEF representative Daniel Camazón told EL UNIVERSAL that the nation´s rate of violence against children is scandalous and unjustifiable.
The highest homicide rates in the country occur amongst children under the age of 4, the study said.
The most common causes of death are hanging, strangulation and suffocation.
Reducing acts of violence against children is the responsibility of the entire country, Camazón said, but the state is obligated to lead the effort, because it has made an international commitment to do so.
The law should strongly punish anyone who victimizes children, he said. UNICEF has offered to collaborate with the government in order to conduct further research on the issue.
The U.N.-sponsored report was based on Health Secretariat statistics and found "a high level of tolerance" for violence directed against children. Physical punishment and verbal abuse "are everyday practices that have reached high levels of acceptance," the report said.
TWO DEATHS EVERY DAY
For the past 30 years, on average nationwide, two children aged 14 or younger die every day from domestic abuse or crime.
The problem may be even worse than the report suggests, since incidents of child abuse are drastically underreported. Cases of mistreatment are often registered as accidents in local health clinics and are rarely investigated.
Elena Azaola, who helped prepare the report, said that in addition to homicide, there are other forms of violence that are less visible and dramatic, but nonetheless "cause significant harm and drastically reduce the possibility of a healthy, full life."
These include insults, taunting, mean nicknames, silence and indifference, she said. |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us