Brasília - Each year around 14 thousand Brazilian adolescents in the 12-19 age bracket succumb to violent deaths (homicides, traffic accidents, and suicides). Of this total, nearly 12 thousand are boys, and black boys are the greatest victims. In 2002, whereas 5,093 black adolescents in this age group died as the result of violence, the corresponding number among whites was 4,200. These data are part of the report, "World Situation of Childhood, 2005 - Childhood in Jeopardy," released today by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The report underlines the accelerated increase in violent deaths among women in the 15-24 age group. Between 1990 and 2002, the number of deaths due to violence as a percentage of all deaths rose from 28.3% to 34.1% among adolescent females. "The growth in the number of victims is much higher among the group of adolescent females," asserts Marie Pierre Poirier, UNESCO representative in Brazil. The document shows that the greatest increase in the proportion of female victims of violence occurred in Northern Brazil, where the difference amounted to 44% between 1990 and 2002.

The document also identifies the diminution of urban violence as one of the principal challenges facing Brazil. For Poirier, altering the current situation requires actions to end the culture of impunity. "Each instance of crime must be accompanied until it is judged," she stresses.

For the UNICEF representative, it is also necessary to improve the data systems on violence against children and young people, in order to allow access to "more reliable" information on the various types of offenses, including sexual violence. In her view, it is also important for school curricula to include such topics as tolerance and appreciation of differences.

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Juliana Andrade
Translator: David Silberstein
12/09/2004