Over a seven-year period, between 2015 and 2022, 53,318 children and young people were killed in Latin America, evidence that violence continues to pose a serious threat to the lives and well-being of millions of minors, according to a report by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

The document, “Violence Against Children and Adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean”, produced jointly with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), also reveals that between 2021 and 2022 the rate of young women murdered doubled, rising from 2.13 to 5.1 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.

Lethal violence is linked to organised crime, easy access to firearms, social inequalities and harmful gender norms.

However, violence is present from very early ages. Six out of ten children under the age of 14 experience some form of violent punishment at home, while one in four adolescent girls reports being subjected to school bullying. Abuse in digital environments is also on the rise.

Roberto Benes, UNICEF’s Regional Director, stated that “many places and situations across the region present real risks and dangers for children.”

“Every day, millions of children and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean live exposed to violence — at home, at school, and in communities where gangs are present,” Benes said.

For his part, Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO, stressed that “violence has a profound and lasting impact on the physical and mental health of children and adolescents and undermines their right to grow up in safe environments — at home, at school and within their communities.”

Data from the study focusing on adolescents aged 15 to 17 reveal contrasting trends by gender. While the homicide rate among adolescent girls doubled, the rate among boys declined from 17.63 to 10.68 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, a level that nonetheless remains high.

Across the region, six in ten children and adolescents under the age of 14 are subjected to some form of violent discipline at home, while one in four girls aged 13 to 17 experiences bullying at school.

Nearly one in five women in Latin America and the Caribbean reports having suffered sexual violence before the age of 18. Violence is also increasingly occurring in digital environments, although available data remain limited.

The report was validated during a regional consultation held in October 2025, attended by more than 300 participants, including ministers and senior officials from the health, education, justice and child-protection sectors, as well as representatives of civil society, youth leaders and international partners.

The UNICEF-PAHO study proposes evidence-based solutions: strengthening child-protection legislation, controlling access to firearms, training teachers, police officers and health workers, supporting parents and caregivers, investing in safe educational environments, and expanding response services.

Barbosa noted that “health services play a key role in prevention and response: when health professionals identify individuals and groups at risk at an early stage and provide timely and high-quality support, they can make a real difference for survivors, their families and their communities.”

Benes concluded: “We know how to end violence. In Latin America and the Caribbean, strong and sustained public policies are required to prevent and respond to violence in all its forms, so that every child can grow up in a safe environment.”

See: Más de 53 000 niños asesinados en América Latina en siete años

Photo. A demonstration in Lima highlighting violence against children. © Pajuelo / UNICEF