Brazil had almost 5,000 violent deaths of children and adolescents in 2019; 75% were black, reveals Anuário | Saint Paul

• Brazil registers 13,700 deaths that were not clear and did not enter the 2019 homicide statistics, says Anuário

The data refer to 20 states (AL, CE, DF, ES, MA, MG, MS, MT, PA, PB, PE, PR, RJ, RO, RR, RS, SC, SE, SP and TO), which they concentrate 84% of the Brazilian population. It is the first time that the Forum has released the figures, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).

According to Sofia Reinach, a researcher associated with the Forum, the issue is urgent and, therefore, it was included in this year’s Yearbook. Data by age group, according to Sofia, is still fragile and needs to be better collected by states.

“These are very high numbers compared to other countries. Many children are dying in Brazil,” says Sofia Reinach.

The Yearbook takes into account the age group 0-19 years, used by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the publication, although some specific cases generate shock and have repercussions, “the violations and intentional violent deaths of children and adolescents in Brazil are unacceptably common phenomena and constitute serious problems that deserve constant attention from the public and the public. authorities”.

In May 2020, the boy João Pedro Mattos, 14, was killed during a police operation in São Gonçalo (RJ). Eight months earlier, in September 2019, the 8-year-old girl Ágatha Vitória Sales Félix was murdered inside a van in Complexo do Alemão. In August this year, a 10-year-old girl, a victim of sexual violence, was also exposed to a national debate when she tried to exercise a right guaranteed by law to terminate a pregnancy resulting from rape.

“If the isolated episodes are shocking, it must cause a commotion that in 2019 almost 5,000 children and adolescents were violently and intentionally murdered and almost 26,000 who suffered rape,” says the Yearbook.

The states with the highest rate of violent deaths among children and adolescents are Espírito Santo (6.79 per 100,000), Pernambuco (6.22) and Sergipe (6.09). Deaths between 15 and 19 years old represent 90% of the total.

The disproportion between the profiles of the victims is striking, especially in relation to race. Blacks represent 75% of children and adolescents from 0 to 19 years of age who are victims of intentional violent deaths in Brazil. In all age groups, the number of black victims is greater than the number of white victims. “The probability of a black child dying in Brazil is very high,” says Sofía.

According to the Yearbook, among victims aged 0 to 9, the main types of crimes are homicide and bodily injury followed by death. “There is a peak of abandonment and abandonment in the age group of babies. Then, with 5 and 6 years, it stabilizes”, says Sofía.

From 13 years of age, homicides increase, but it is also possible to see an increase in deaths due to police intervention.

“The scenario is alarming. You cannot look at these data without imagining that we are dealing with a generation of people who are brutally lost, ”says the Yearbook. “On average, more than 13 children and adolescents die violently every day in Brazil. These are the most vulnerable people in our society and must be protected by the State, as established by the Brazilian Constitution and the Statute of Children and Adolescents ”.

Another statistic that the Yearbook presents is that of violations committed by children and adolescents. There were at least 25,984 registered cases.

However, only 12 states (CE, DF, ES, MT, PA, PB, PR, RJ, RO, RR, RS, SP) disclose this information. The units of the Federation concentrate 57% of the national population. In other words, the coverage is significantly less than the information on intentional violent deaths.

Taking into account only those states, those with the highest rates are Mato Grosso (46.29 per 100,000), Paraná (44.22) and Pará (34.58).

Unlike violent deaths, rape is concentrated in the youngest age groups, with 38% between 0 and 9 years old, 44% between 10 and 14 years old and 18% between 15 and 19 years old.

If the main victims of the murders are children, in the case of rapes girls represent 85% of the victims.

“These data show that, on average, more than 70 children and adolescents are raped every day in Brazil. Every hour, three children suffer this type of violence. During the five days that the debate on the 10-year-old girl in ES occupied the media, we can estimate that at least 350 more children, mostly girls, were subjected to the same violence ”.

Although only 1% of cases have a location, 64% it happened at home, which indicates domestic violence, according to Sofia. “Violence against women in the home is also exposed to children,” says the researcher.

The Yearbook highlights that the lack of transparency and information on the part of several states makes an even more complete analysis of the national panorama difficult.