violence against children WORLD REPORT ON - CRIN

288Violence against children in the community75% of whom were boys. These global estimatesdo not indicate the settings in whichhomicides occur, but country-level data frompolice statistics, injury surveillance systemsand special studies suggest that a majority ofhomicides in the 15–17-year age group occurin community settings.In some regions, notably in Latin America, thehighest homicide rates of any age group acrossthe population occur among 15–19-year olds.In others, including Africa, Eastern Europe andCentral Asia, homicide rates continue to riseafter the age of 15–19, peaking among youngadults in their twenties, or even later. In everyregion, however, homicide rates in boys aged15–17 are at least three times greater than thoseof boys aged 10–14, while homicide rates in girlsaged 15–17 are nearly twice those of girls aged10–14. This sudden increase in violence in theover-15 age group occurs even in regions withlow overall homicide rates, and implies thatmeasures to curtail violent behaviour are criticalbefore and during the early and mid-teens,to prevent further increases in later years.Over 95% of homicides in 15–17-year oldsoccur in low- and middle-income countries,where the homicide rate for boys aged 15–17years is 9.8 per 100,000 population comparedwith 3.2 per 100,000 for boys in high-incomecountries. Girls in high-income countries havea homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 population,versus 3.5 per 100,000 for girls in lowandmiddle-income countries. Apart from theUSA, most of the countries with the highestadolescent homicide rates are either developingcountries or those experiencing rapid socialand economic change. The countries withlow rates of adolescent homicide tend to be inWestern Europe or in Asia, while the countrieswith high rates tend to be in the Americas andAfrica (see Table 7.1).The marked variation in homicide rates acrossregions at different levels of social and economicdevelopment mirrors even sharper differencesin homicide rates observed betweencommunities within countries. For instance,provincial and city-level studies from highandlow- to middle-income countries includingBrazil, 9 Colombia, 10 Jamaica, 11 the RussianFederation, 12 South Africa 13 and the UK 14 showthat homicide rates follow a recurrent geographicalpattern of inequity, with homiciderates in the most deprived communities beingmany times greater than in wealthier communities.For instance, in Cape Town, SouthAfrica, just a few kilometres separate shantytowns where male homicide rates exceed 200per 100,000 from wealthier, well-establishedsuburban areas where male homicide rates arefour times less, at around 50 per 100,000. 15Relatively few studies have examined thevictim–perpetrator relationship and the typicalscenarios that underlie homicide in 15–17year olds. Those which have been conductedsuggest that perpetrators are often friends oracquaintances of the victim, and that much ofthis homicidal violence occurs in neighbourhoodsand local hang-outs, and is linked tointer-personal arguments which develop intofights – over girls, possessions, rivalries, brokenloyalties or group codes – and to intoxicationwith liquor or drugs. The availability of fire-