We must fight structural racism to reduce the killings of children and teenagers in Brazil, says a UNICEF specialist

Brasil de Fato

A study released by the Brazilian Public Safety Forum (FBSP, in Portuguese) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed that more than 15,000 violent deaths of children and teenagers have been recorded in the last three years in Brazil. The survey, carried out on August 13, considers data on victims up to the age of 19.

The high number is worrying enough, but the profile of the majority of children and teenagers killed is even more shocking, says Ana Carolina Fonseca, UNICEF’s Protection Officer.

“These figures always shock us. They are significant numbers. Brazil continues to deal with unacceptable levels of violence against children and teenagers, with an average of 13 victims a day in the last year [2023]. It’s important to note that of the more than 15,000 children and teenagers who have been murdered, 90% are boys and almost 83% are Black,” she said.    

Fonseca explains that this points to the structural racism faced by Black people since the beginning of their lives.

“Race is a determining factor from the moment a child is born. We need to talk about it and understand that this death is the end of an exclusion cycle. Brazil has a kind of racism that operates from exclusion to the education system, from the health system to other social protection systems, until it reaches this outcome,” she laments.

Compared to 2022, the number of killings of children and teenagers fell by 7.6% in 2023: there were 4,993 violent deaths last year compared to 5,354 the year before.

But while lethal violence has decreased, sexual violence has been increasing every year, says Fonseca. Between 2021 and 2023, Brazil recorded a total of more than 164,000 cases of rape and rape of people under 19.

“In the last three years, 87% of these 164,000 victims were girls. It’s very shocking to think that 35% or 36% were up to 9 years old and the vast majority were under 14,” says the UNICEF Protection Officer.

“The gender factor, the racial factor, and the age factor also make a big difference. We want to believe that more cases are being reported, but we know that even if it did increase, it is still an unknown universe, a kind of “violence still heavily underreported,” she said.

The specialist praises Brazil’s Statute of the Child and Adolescent and says the country is a pioneer in terms of legislation that protects this group. However, she states that, given the numbers UNICEF and FBSP released, more measures are needed.

“A lot must be done. First, we need to denaturalize it. It’s not normal for a child or teenager to be a victim of both sexual and lethal violence. We need to pay attention and understand these killings and rape cases and act. We need to confront structural racism.”

“When we talk about sexual violence, every professional in social services needs to be prepared to identify violence and know how to take in these victims, and report them to the protection network,” she says.

“It’s crucial to have services that protect and identify these kinds of violence. And another point is to guarantee people under 19 the right to know their rights and know when they are victims of violence and where and how to seek help.”

The full interview (in Portuguese) by Luana Ibelli is available on Wednesday’s edition of Central do Brasil, on Brasil de Fato‘s YouTube channel.

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Central do Brasil is produced by Brasil de Fato. It is broadcast live from Monday to Friday at 1 pm (local time) by Rede TVT and partners.