Over 53,000 children killed across Latin America and the Caribbean in seven-year period

Jan 27, 2026 News

Children, adolescents and young people across Guyana face a worrying reality of violence that mirrors troubling regional trends, according to key findings from a new joint report by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and UNICEF on the scourge of violence in Latin America and the Caribbean.

While the regional report focuses on broader patterns across Latin America and the Caribbean, the data and related evidence make clear that Guyana is not exempt from the multi-layered crisis of violence affecting young lives. Regional numbers show that between 2015 and 2022, more than 53,000 children and adolescents were killed in the region and that different forms of violence begin early, often in the home, at school, and increasingly online. Titled Violence against children and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean: New data and solutions, the report noted that while the homicide rate among boys fell from 17.63 to 10.68 per 100,000 between 2021 and 2022, it remains alarmingly high. In contrast, the homicide rate among adolescent girls more than doubled during the same period, rising from 2.13 to 5.1 per 100,000.

According to a PAHO release, homicides occur in a context of rising armed violence in some areas of the region, associated with organised crime, easy access to firearms, social inequalities and harmful gender norms, which increasingly expose adolescents to situations of lethal violence.

Different forms of violence are interconnected and, in many cases, intensify over time. The report highlights how violence is present from a very early age. In the region, 6 out of 10 children and adolescents under 14 years of age are subject to some type of violent discipline at home, while one in four adolescents aged 13 to 17 experiences bullying at school. Nearly one in five women in Latin America and the Caribbean report having experienced sexual violence before the age of 18. Increasingly, violence manifests itself in digital environments, although available data remains limited.

“Every day, millions of children in Latin America and the Caribbean are exposed to violence – at home, at school and in communities with a gang presence. Multiple places and situations in the region present real risks and dangers for children,” said Roberto Benes, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. “We know how to end the 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.”

“Violence has a profound and lasting impact on the physical and mental health of children and adolescents and violates their right to grow up in safe environments, at home, school and in the community,” said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO. “Health services play a key role in prevention and response: when health workers identify people and groups at risk early and provide timely, quality support, they can make a real difference for survivors, their families and communities.”

In addition to describing the scale of the problem, the report highlights evidence-based solutions that can prevent violence and mitigate its costs. To advance this agenda and end violence in all its forms, PAHO and UNICEF urge governments in the region to strengthen and enforce child protection laws, ensure effective control of firearms, train police officers, teachers, and health and social workers, support parents and caregivers in respectful parenting practices, invest in safe learning environments, and scale up responsive services to ensure that all children and adolescents grow up protected, have access to justice, and live healthy, violence-free lives.

The report was validated during a regional ministerial consultation held on 23-24 October 2025, which brought together more than 300 participants from across the region, including ministers and senior officials from the health, education, justice and child protection sectors, as well as civil society representatives, youth leaders and international partners, with the aim of agreeing on concrete actions to build safer environments for children and adolescents.

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adolescents, child violence, PAHO, UNICEF

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