The event, held on October 9 and 10, featured experts from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Mexico, and attracted more than 550 professionals from Carabineros, the PDI, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Legal Medical Service, the Subsecretariat for Crime Prevention, the Ministry of Health, and other related agencies.
In response to the rising number of child homicides in Chile, Fundación Amparo y Justicia organized the seminar “Challenges in Investigating Homicides of Children, Adolescents, and Young People” on October 9 and 10. This pioneering event in Chile brought together international experts to provide health professionals, police officers, prosecutors, and forensic pathologists with tools aimed at improving the detection, investigation, and prosecution of suspected deaths and child homicides (NNA).
The seminar was timely, as child homicides have increased significantly, with a staggering 600% rise since 2022. This event sought to address the urgent need to improve the processes used by professionals involved in investigating these crimes. Alejandro Espinoza, president of Fundación Amparo y Justicia, commented, “For 25 years, we have been working on child homicide cases, witnessing the challenges in detecting and investigating these crimes within the system. That’s why we aim to push for changes that strengthen the justice system’s response to this issue.”
Held at the main campus of the Pontificia Universidad Católica, the event saw the participation of over 550 attendees from various institutions, including Carabineros, the PDI, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Legal Medical Service, the Subsecretariat for Crime Prevention, and the Ministry of Health, among others.
The importance of enhancing specialization among those involved in the process, from reporting to forensic examination, was highlighted by Acting National Prosecutor Héctor Barros, who thanked the organizers and emphasized that “training, as well as international best practices and standards, are essential to improving investigations and ensuring they are carried out thoroughly and rigorously.”
The Undersecretary for Children, Verónica Silva, also stressed the need for inter-institutional collaboration due to the rising number of child homicides in the country. She stated, “Nearly 25% of child homicides in recent years have been the result of domestic violence. We have a problem in the country regarding this, and we cannot ignore it.”
The inaugural day of the seminar on October 9 featured presentations from four renowned experts: Dr. Norell Rosado, a physician and academic specializing in pediatric abuse; David Marshall, former chief inspector and detective with the London Metropolitan Police; Jeffrey Dort, District Attorney for San Diego, USA; and Dr. Katherine Maloney, a forensic pathologist expert in pediatric autopsies and Deputy Chief of the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office in Buffalo, New York.
The second day of the seminar, held on Thursday, October 10, included two in-depth workshops focused on the prosecution and investigation of child homicides. Over 100 justice system operators and auxiliary staff participated in these sessions.
Child homicide statistics
Fundación Amparo y Justicia conducted a diagnostic report using data from various institutions. According to figures from the Subsecretariat of the Interior, child homicides have increased by 78% over the past five years. Furthermore, the Homicide Observatory recently reported that these crimes grew by 23% in 2023, reaching 66 cases.
While the majority of victims are adolescents aged 14 to 17 (68%), a recent report from the Public Prosecutor’s Office highlighted a significant shift in the pattern of these crimes, particularly in the context of domestic violence. The report showed a 600% increase in domestic violence-related homicides, from 2 cases in 2022 to 14 in 2023.
