Following a comprehensive collection of data from various institutions, the report reveals a concerning increase in child homicides in the country, with a 23% rise in 2023. The majority of the victims are adolescents aged 14 to 17, with family violence being the context that has seen the highest increase.
In the face of growing concern over the deaths of children and adolescents (CNA) in Chile, Fundación Amparo y Justicia has released a diagnostic report based on recent data and reports from various national institutions.
The collected data is alarming. According to figures from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, in 2023, 66 children and adolescents were victims of completed homicides, accounting for 5% of the total homicide cases recorded nationwide.
Another significant figure is that the last year saw the highest frequency of homicides among children and adolescents, with a rate of 1.5 homicides per 100,000 minors (Public Prosecutor’s Office, 2024), the highest rate in the past 8 years. Compared to 2022, this represents a 23% increase in the homicide rate.
The same report from the Public Prosecutor’s Office also indicates that between 2016 and 2023, a total of 383 children and adolescents were victims of completed homicide.
The report also highlights that in 2023, the majority of victims were between 14 and 17 years old (68%). However, one of the most alarming figures is the context of homicides occurring in situations of domestic violence (DV), which showed a staggering 600% increase compared to 2022.
In line with this, the Undersecretary of the Interior, in a presentation to the Chamber of Deputies’ Security Committee in July of this year, detailed that 21.6% of children and adolescents who were homicide victims had died in the context of domestic violence. Among these victims, 23% were under 1 year old, and 49.2% were under 5 years old.
How to address the increase?
International evidence suggests that detecting and investigating child homicides is more complex than adult cases.
National data reinforces this point: between 2018 and 2022, 343 autopsies were conducted on children in Chile, where the cause of death could not be determined.
Moreover, the duration of the judicial processes related to these crimes is lengthy, often taking between 2 and 4.5 years to reach a conclusion.
For the Foundation, it is urgent to address the challenges posed by the rise in violent deaths of children and adolescents as a particularly vulnerable group, by improving prevention, detection, and investigation of these cases.
In this context, the Foundation has made several proposals in its report:
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- Foster inter-agency collaboration: Promote collaboration between all stakeholders at each stage of the process.
- Improve case reporting: Strengthen existing mechanisms for reporting child homicides, ensuring that these systems can integrate data from various institutions, and expanding their scope of action.
- Develop quality standards: Create quality standards for each stage of the process to provide effective guidance for those addressing these complex cases within the system.
- Provide specialized training: Ensure specialized training for all actors at each stage of the process, from health personnel who may detect a suspicious death to those investigating and adjudicating these cases.
You can read the full report by following the link below.
